Be Mine, Valentine
by Darthrose
Summary: Win Megumi's heart within seven days. Easy enough; if you're ace basketball player and top bachelor, Sendoh Akira. Though things can go a little out of hand when there are jealous fan girls, rivals, an over protective brother and an abusive father to deal with. How will Sendoh win over the feisty, man-hater Student Council President who believes he's just a womanizer?
1. Chapter 1: Idiot

**Title:** Be Mine, Valentine  
**Fandom:** Slam Dunk  
**Pairing:** SendohXOC  
**Rating:** T (_rating may go up_)

**Summary:** Win Megumi's heart within seven days. Easy enough; if you're ace basketball player and top bachelor, Sendoh Akira. Though things can go a little out of hand when there are jealous fan girls, rivals, an over protective brother and an abusive father to deal with. How will Sendoh win over the feisty, monstrous Student Council President who believes he's just a womanizer?

**Warnings:** AU, may experience slight OOCness  
_**By:**_ Darthrose a.k.a Crimson Essence  
**Edited: **_May 2nd 2010, September 2nd 2011 & May 4__th__ 2013_

**A/N: **Fixed most grammar, spelling, added a new opening and subtracted cluttered description (deleted about 1,000 words). Please read at 3/4 or 1/2 view.

* * *

A miniscule slit formed against paled skin before blossoming as specks of crimson. These flecks collected into a single bulb before it cascaded down a finger, only to stop short at a wrinkle of a palm. A woman drew back her hand from the letter that cut her finger to inspect the blood with a dazed curiosity. Then, placed the fine, bone white parchment back into a tattered envelope that seemed to have been many years old. Quietly, she slipped it into a drawer stuffed with similar, aged letters.

The woman was in her early twenties. The straightened ends of her raven locks brushed against a waist that could have been considered anorexic. Her slender wrists too, were bony and marred with old scars. The forth finger on her left hand was lightly adorned with a simple golden band which she mindlessly spun in place. Her features were sharp, angled and empty, matching the deadness in her eyes.

A wise man once said that the road to hell was paved with good intentions. Her hell began with a single suggestion. A simple, quick fix five years ago that should have gone perfectly fine if not for _him_.

How could she have known that that single little, crazy, idea would have allowed her to taste heaven before shoving her down into the pits of hell like a cynical savior.

* * *

**Five Years ago...**

_Ryonan High School, Kanagawa Prefecture: Wednesday, February 8th__

"It's not going to work..."

Eighteen-year-old Megumi V. Kobayashi groaned in exasperation as she stretched her body over her desk, releasing a flow of long, unruly chestnut hair off the wooden top. Being the president of the Student Council, she hadn't gotten much sleep with the Valentine's Dance being next week. The other Council members had successfully put off planning till this very moment. So, the 'Procrastinator's Alliance' began tossing together a mix and mash of desperate ideas.

"But using the gym is a great idea!" exclaimed Kenji Takahashi, the Health and Safety Coordinator, hoping to persuade the others. The blonde second year student had put up the 'great idea' of holding the dance in the gym since it was big enough to hold most of the school's populous and allow them hang out in the field as it was directly outside. Position wise, it was a smart choice and a far more affordable option than renting out a venue. It was as good of an idea as any, but with one major setback.

Coach Taoka.

There was no way that the basketball coach of Ryonan High, _the_ Moichi Taoka, was going to let them use the gymnasium. He was, after all, the strictest, harshest teacher in Ryonan history. The fact that the Spring Tournament was around the corner hasn't helped him loosen up either. Maybe if they had asked sooner they would have been granted permission, but not now.

Megumi rolled her eyes in annoyance. She knew that once Kenji set his mind on something, he was going to get it no matter what. From personal experiences, she knew that arguing was pointless. All she could do was feebly attempt to talk some sense into her junior.

"Good idea, bad timing. I mean, who's willing to ask Coach Taoka's permission now? You know he hates it when we do that. Remember what happened to the _last _Student Council?" she reminded the group, exasperatedly.

The group paused to think back several months. A similar scenario popped up during the Christmas Party. Back then, Coach Taoka was more lenient and had let the last year's Student Council use the gym –mainly because the Winter Games were over with. But, when the gymnasium was returned in pieces, things became messy. Ever since that incident, the whole student council was in the basketball team's bad books, mainly the president.

The group then exchanged nervous glances, wondering what they should do next. They didn't want a repeat of last year, but they didn't want to ruin this year's Valentine's Dance either. The group couldn't weigh down the name of the student council any more than the past members already have. Any further slip-ups would result in immediate replacements.

They needed someone who had a chance at persuading the Coach. Someone who would try to make a scene but know when to back down. They needed someone who represented the student council and the student body. They needed someone who could think before they acted.

Only one fit the bill.

Kenji piped up, "Let's take a vote. Who wants the Pres to do it?" With that said, his hand shot up in the air before the others followed in sync.

The unwilling president wanted to protest, but before the words could pass her lips, she was dragged to her feet and flung out the door. This was _not_ happening! Mutiny! Mutiny!

"Good luck Pres!" The traitors chorused in cheerful tones as they slammed the door shut and locked it. Obviously, they weren't going to let her in until she completed her 'mission'.

The brunette let out an irate sigh, knowing full well that the only way back in was either through the window, or to kick down the door. The former was too much trouble and the latter was not an option. After all, that was their third door this month and their budget was tight. Normally, this would have been a blessing to be out of there, but the fact that there was a stack of manga on her desk, crying out to be read, she was forced her to complete the errand.

"Dammit..."

* * *

_Thud! Thud! Thud! Squee—_

Megumi shuddered to a halt at the gymnasium doorway when the sounds of squeaking sneakers and bouncing balls broke her out of autopilot. Scanning her surroundings, she took in every detail from the fan girls in the corner to the sweat that ran down the sides of the players' faces as they ran up and down the court. Finally, her gaze landed on her target, Coach Taoka. The man seemed to be in a fouler mood than usual... great.

Inhaling deeply, the Student Council President gathered her courage and stepped through the metal double doors and onto the waxed orange flooring.

The moment her shoe met with the polished surface, it made a loud obnoxious squeak.

Coach Taoka's head snapped about so fast that she thought his neck would break. "You! Take off your shoes!" he yelled, causing her to jolt upright. His beady black eyes narrowed on Megumi as his lips set in a disapproving line.

She hadn't said anything and he was already pissed off. _Great_.

Megumi could feel the poisonous aura that emanated from his very being. By now Coach Taoka had recognized this intruder. She was the Student Council President –an unwelcomed being.

His scrutinizing gaze intensified. Why was _she_ here? Well, judging by the month, he could guess.

"Ur, yeah, sorry 'bout that," Megumi apologized with a shrug of her shoulders, lacking in respect as she slipped off her shoes and entered. Honestly, it was far too troublesome to act sincere. She noticed some of the basketball players snigger at her, but she ignored the gnats. They were idiots. The whole lot of them.

* * *

Sendoh Akira, basketball ace and top bachelor of Ryonan High, was late for practice yet again. Hoping to avoid trouble, the second year student tried sneaking in through the back door. Shoulders hunched, body in a half crouch, he tried to find a group of players he could 'meld' into. All was going smoothly, until he heard his coach yell for him to take off his shoes, he knew right away that he had been caught.

"Sorry coach! I overslept!" the spiky haired ace quickly apologized, bowing his entire being, waiting to be reprimanded.

He remained in that posture for a minute waiting for a fist to the skull, but nothing happened. Slowly, the basketball player raised his head with visible confusion on his face. Glancing about the court, he spotted his coach and a girl who was talking... no, _arguing_ with him? Well that's rather alarming.

From afar, Sendoh began to scrutinize her. Was she in his grade? He cocked his head to side thinking hard before shaking his head. If she were a Second Year student, he would have at least recognized her face. A third year then?

Maybe Uozumi knows her or something. Speaking of which, the current captain should have dug his fist into Sendoh's cranium by now. Where is he?

Scouring the basketball court one more time, he searched for the tallest player in their team. Shouldn't be too hard to find right? Wrong. It took him a whole minute before he spotted his captain strategically placed behind the benches crouching in a fetal position, out of view of both the coach and the girl.

'_What's going on?'_

Sendoh furrowed his brows, unable to make the connection. Who was she that had the gall to argue with Coach Taoka a few weeks before a tournament? The Spring Tournament may not be all that, but it was a competition nonetheless. Ryonan was going to go all out to defeat a rivaling school, Shohoku. Just thinking about it caused a competitive fire to burn within every member of the boy's basketball team, especially Coach Taoka.

At any rate, what was her relationship with Uozumi? What kind of person could she possibly be to cause him to cower out of her line of sight?

Surely she wasn't _that_ bad, right?

* * *

Folding her arms across her chest, Megumi spoke defiantly, "I don't see why you can't give your students a day off on Valentine's Day." This was becoming rather tiresome and she was beginning to grow weary of non-stop arguing. She felt like she on the debate team all over again –not something she liked.

"Look, _Valentine-_san," Coach Taoka inserted her middle name in order to spite her, make her lose her cool, but that was not going to happen.

Keeping a calm face, she let the subtle insult slide, for now. In the past, her name was the cause of much teasing. It was usually a casual phrase used now and then to annoy her, but when Valentine's Day was around the corner, it became less bearable.

The coach continued his attack as he stated the obvious, "The Spring Tournament is coming up in two weeks. We have to practice or else we'll lose to Shohoku again!" He knew full well that if Megumi were to pursue the subject any further, she might end up being the most hated student in school for being the 'cause' of Ryonan's loss to Shohoku.

"Sir, can't you move the training to a Saturday? Sunday?" Megumi's voice ended on a rather sharp note, ignoring the glares that drilled into the back of her head. She could almost feel the rage seeping out from the 'Sendoh fan club' as they watched her interrupt their idol's training time.

"...We have a practice match against Shoyo, Sunday. And, I don't want a repetition of last year's _Christmas Party_," the coach reminded her sternly. Surely even she wouldn't think of further continuing this conversation. By the looks she was receiving from Sendoh's fan girls and a couple of the basketball members, it was surprising she hadn't turn tail and run already.

Gritting her teeth, Megumi tugged the corners of her mouth into a forced smile. Finally, she conceded, bringing Taoka a surge of triumph. Though, even with the 'smile', her voice was as stern as ever as she spoke, "Thank you for your time, coach... I will be back, and I hope you'll have a... change of heart."

With those words, she exited the court with most of her pride intact.

When the Student Council President was out of sight, the mood in the gymnasium seemed to lighten. It was as if something foul had been removed from the room.

Coach Taoka let out a sigh of relief that it was over. For now.

Captain Uozumi, who had come out from his hiding spot, acted as if he had been stretching behind the benches the whole time. There were a couple of the third year students that stopped concentrating as hard on their basketballs as they did when she first entered the gym.

'_What's up with her?' _Sendoh couldn't help but wonder about this mystery girl. _'Valentine-san, huh?'_

Without hesitation, the ace player slipped out through the back door, hoping to catch up with the brunette and get to know this ice princess. She sure was a rather... interesting character. Maybe he could have a little fun with this one.

"Excuse me! Valentine-san!" Sendoh called out to third year, waving an arm frantically at her in hopes to catch her attention. Surprisingly enough, she was already halfway across the school field. He couldn't help but wonder why she was in such a rush to leave.

The girl paused in mid step before turning to face the porcupine that was gaining on her. Fantastic. Now there was another idiot she had to deal with. Really, all she wanted to return to her manga; not chat. Running would waste her energy though. So, it wasn't an option.

With her lips curved into a frown, Megumi watched as he caught up with her. Crossing her arms over her chest, she raised an impatient brow before speaking in a clearly irritated tone, "What do you want?"

Her cold, steely tone startled the happy-go-lucky Sendoh Akira, but he quickly recovered from the surprise with another one of his smiles. Reaching out, he took a lock of her coffee colored hair, allowing a few silken strands to slip through his fingers.

"I just wanted to know your name, milady," he said, in a 'princely' manner as he stooped to kiss the brown. He half expected the girl to swoon and turn into puddles of drool like all the other girls he had used that line on, but this one didn't. Instead, she swatted his hand aside and grimaced.

"Are you _stupid_?"

* * *

**A/N: **For those of you who have started this story before the new intro was added, I'm just going to give you a mini spoiler. No, this series does not end after the Valentine's dance. I've thought through the general idea of the storyline, including what happens five years later. Though I'm debating if I should make it into a separate story as it does become a little... dark. :)

Also, Megumi's last name is not Valentine, it is Kobayashi (a common surname in the Kanagawa prefecture). Valentine has become her middle name since I disliked having her be so 'unique' from the other characters in this story. (I'd remove 'Valentine' from her name fully, but figured there'd be some complaints).

Things that changed was the grammar, amount of description, the new intro, sarcastic style of writing and a slightly toned down Megumi.

_Thoughts? Comments? Corrections? Review!_


	2. Chapter 2: Deal

_Ryonan High School, Kanagawa Prefecture: Wednesday, February 8th__

Sendoh made his way back to the gymnasium, limbs dragging, and shoulders slumped in dejection. He couldn't help but wonder what he'd done wrong. He'd followed the rules to flirting... He had coated his words with enough sugar to cause a girl to melt in his arms like butter on a hot pancake. Why didn't this one?

She actually glared at him. At him! Sendoh Akira! One of the most popular guys in the whole of Ryonan! Not only that, she slapped his hand aside like one would a fly. Any one of his fan girls would have had their heart explode if that were to happen! She's so mean, so distant, so un-cute! It was rather aggravating, really.

Just as Sendoh stepped into the gymnasium, a loud and excited voice broke through his mind barrier, shattering it to pieces.

"Unbelievable! Coach! That girl almost beat you! I gotta check this!"

It was Hikoichi Aida, of course. The overexcited benchwarmer grinned sheepishly as he began to write in his faithful little notepad –most probably taking note of this momentous day. Really, that boy was just begging for trouble… trouble that would be equally distributed to every one of his teammates if he didn't stop now.

A visible vein seemed to pop onto the coach's forehead. A fraction of a second later, he exploded on his pupils, ordering fifty laps around the gym. Then, to give him a hundred pushups and sit ups after. Sendoh knew full well that he would receive the full frontal assault of Taoka's wrath very soon. Maybe if he started running...

"Sendoh! Get over here! Now!" Coach Taoka yelled at the top of his lungs. After all, the teen in question had run to the opposite end of the court, trying to blend in with the rest of the crowd. Too bad his gravity defying hair stuck out a little, _just_ a little. Well, it seemed that the rumors about Coach Taoka were true. His face does turn a rather lovely shade of purple when he gets mad enough. If the coach didn't take a breath soon, he might just pass out from lack of oxygen.

Swallowing hard, Sendoh listened to Coach Taoka's twenty-minute lecture that was mainly about irresponsibility and stubbornness. Though, the ace had a feeling that it wasn't all about him. When asked why he was so late, the only excuse Sendoh could come up with was:

'I overslept'.

* * *

"So... it's still a 'no' huh?" muttered the Vice-President, Ichiro Takahashi, in his disinterested tone as he sat at Megumi's seat, casually flipping through a manga. His indifference made it seem as if he already knew what the outcome would be.

"Yeah... hey! That's mine!" Megumi snapped at him as she snatched the comic out of his hands. Sheesh! While she was busy arguing with the Coach for the benefit of the whole student body, Ichiro was busy reading _her _manga, the second year treasurer was happily painting her nails, Kenji was busy causing a ruckus elsewhere while the secretary was hard at work slaying dragons on his PSP.

"Hey! That's against school rules!" Megumi reprimanded the second year student, Daichi Yamamoto, as she snatched the PSP out of his hands.

"Meh, I was gonna chuck it anyway. I mean it's already three months old... You can have it if you want, _Tenma-chan_*****" the rich boy muttered with a shrug. Acting as if it didn't matter to him, he kicked his legs up on his desk and leaned his chair on its back legs.

_'B... Brat...'_ Megumi's eye twitched involuntarily as a small, black flame began to kindle inside her. When provoked, her monstrous strength would appear and Daichi knew that full well. He always seemed to be one of the two main causes and victims of her fury.

'If she's going to get mad at me, I might as well have some fun,' was what he was probably thinking.

But before anything else could happen, the Treasurer, Kimiyou Satou, quickly spoke up. "Calm down Mi-chan! Why don't we all take a step back and relax?" Something as logical as that coming from Kimiyou was rather surprising. Usually she'd be the one to take a back seat and watch from the sidelines and as the guys get a thorough beat down.

"We can always find a different venue for the dance," Ichiro simply suggested as he continued to leaf through another one of Megumi's manga. He must be one of the few people that could easily incur the brunette's wrath and not have it inflicted on them. Maybe it was because they had a history that began in kindergarten.

Snatching the second manga out of his hands, Megumi spoke in a stern tone, "Ichiro, we_ will_ be using that gym. Just give me some time to think." With those words, she took back her seat from Ichiro, who stood up without a word. Normally she wouldn't care, but Coach Taoka had fired her up. After all, she hated losing.

Furrowing her brows, Megumi began to think. Though, it didn't take her too long to come up with an idea. As troublesome and annoying as it would be, the plan had an 80% of success. All she needed to do was make a deal. Though, there would be no turning back from that point. Judging by _his_ character and interests, the brunette could make a stab at how he'll respond. All she'll need to do is to gently, subtly, prod him in the direction she wanted.

A sly smirk slowly slid across the girl's face as the plan unraveled in her mind. Yes, it would be troublesome, but it would probably work. How did she think of such a plan? Well, all she had to do was think like the sly, conniving member of the group, Ichiro Takahashi.

* * *

_Fake left, dribble right.  
__Fake right, dribble left.  
__Pivot turn.  
__Reverse slam dunk._

Releasing the hoop, Sendoh landed with a thud. His brand new sneakers squeaked against the smooth, waxed ground, echoing as it bounced off the walls of the desolate basketball court. It was late. Even the coach had called it a day, before muttering something about how he hated irresponsible, argumentative girls. Sendoh had the choice to leave early, but he stayed despite the fact that he had a truckload of unfinished homework to complete.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Sendoh Akira wiped a sheen of sweat from his forehead. Despite his concentration, there was one thing that kept nagging him at the back of his mind. Something that caused him to lose focus on the thing he loved the most. The _thing_ that was taking up half of his brain was this Valentine-san. Not because he was infatuated with her. Hell no. God forbid that to ever happen. It was on how she had called him stupid, right in his face before walking off haughtily.

"Jeez... what's her problem…? All I asked was her name…"

The ace of Ryonan frowned –a rather uncommon feature for him. It seemed like the unknown brunette's harsh attitude was getting to him. He followed the rules to a successful, flirtatious life. He even borrowed the book from the library during lunch to retrace his steps and hopefully find out what had gone wrong. But, nothing was wrong. He'd followed the steps perfectly. Though, he had forgotten to read the fine print at the bottom of the book, which stated that the steps used would not work on some girls.

Sighing once more, Sendoh muttered under his breath unhappily, "How can something be so rude and un-cute."

"It's because this _thing_, isn't one of your fan girls."

Sendoh's body jerked upright at the sarcastic voice. He didn't need to turn about to know who was speaking... he knew full well who it was. He just hadn't expected her to be listening to him.

"Seriously, to fall in love with you...? Your fan girls must be brain dead."

The viper's tone caused Sendoh to wince. It was almost as if her words had formed a dagger and had just stabbed him right in the ego. It was a low blow. Maybe those girls did fall for him like stones. That part was true. But she was just being plain rude –enforcing his earlier sentiments.

'_You're not perfect like people think you are… show me who you really are!'_ Megumi thought to herself as a satisfied smirk formed on her lips, half expecting him to snap.

But his response to her spiteful words was far from what she had expected. Instead of turning livid like she had imagined, the ace of Ryonan High simply inhaled and exhaled. Then, turned to face her. There was not a shred of antagonism on his face. In fact, he seemed completely calm and serene, apologetic even. He was _too_ composed. So much so that it scared her. His sea blue eyes seemed to penetrate her very being, almost as if he were searching for the right words to use.

Finally, Sendoh tore his gaze away from hers and muttered a quiet apology. That was not something Megumi expected. What exactly was this boy planning?

Tilting her head to the side, the brunette raised a questioning brow.

As if she hadn't heard him the first time, Sendoh repeated the apology. This time, he extended the sentence a little further just to add a teasing end. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset my princess," he said, bowing so low that it was on the verge of mockery.

Megumi to rolled her eyes in disgust, ready to fling more irate words in his face only to hold her tongue. Instead of retorting with a snide comment, she knew she had to follow the plan. So, like all good tsundere heroines she had read up about, Megumi averted her gaze and pouted slightly, "Enough. I'm not interested."

"Eh?"

Sendoh blinked a couple of times in surprise at her response. He'd already prepared a whole list of subtle retorts for her. What a waste... but anyway, the he was a little dumbfounded by her words. He opened his mouth to speak but shut it again. Wait… did she think he _liked_ her? He didn't. Not even on a friendly basis. But... wouldn't it be fun if he could get her to go out with him? After all, she did seem like a tsundere, so maybe she actually liked him.

That's when inspiration struck him.

Megumi couldn't help but stare questioningly, folding her arms across her chest as a cheeky smile plastered itself on Sendoh's lips.

"What?" she demanded, tapping her finger against her forearm impatiently.

Sendoh smiled at this reaction. He needed her to be interested for things to work. He needed her to ask that one question. That was all he needed to get the ball rolling. This would be fun, playing her for insulting him and the other girls who didn't do anything wrong to evoke her poisonous tongue.

"You wanted the gym for the dance, right?"

Megumi slowly nodded her head, not wanting to say anything that could be used against her. Right now, things seemed to be flowing according to _her_ plan. She didn't want to upset the balance with her sass talk.

"I could get Coach to let you use the gym, if you want me to," he offered with another one of his trademark smiles. Now all she needed to say was...

"Really?" Megumi exclaimed, her face lighting up with excitement. Yes! This was going all according to her plan! But, it was going too easily. She was sure that there was a catch. But, she was prepared for anything. Now she just had to act all excited and like a young schoolgirl who had found her first boyfriend.

Sendoh Akira could hardly hold back his smug smile. He had given her the bait, and she took it not knowing there was a hook underneath. Now all he needed to do was reel her in for the kill. As his thoughts seemed to turn to his favorite hobby, fishing, he was unable to stop himself from thinking that fishing girls was so much easier than regular fishing. Wrong. He was dead wrong. He had no idea what he was truly getting himself into.

"Though, there is one condition," he said, wagging his finger in her face to stop her from getting too excited. He did that to tease her, just in case she might want to chicken out after hearing that there was a condition. Playful taunts like these seemed to rile her up enough to make her want to go on no matter the consequences.

"What is it?" she asked, playing off the anxiety she wore as a mask.

Sendoh couldn't help but chuckle when he saw that reaction. How cute.

"You must give me a chance to win your heart by Valentine's Day," he stated, smirking slightly, brimming with confidence. Even in the short time he had, he was confident in his abilities. Sendoh's wide grin caused Megumi to shudder slightly.

Her base desires wished to claw that perfect pearly white, self-satisfied smile off his face. But, if all she had to do was endure this annoyance till Valentine's Day. It wasn't really a bad deal actually. The only thing at risk was her sanity.

"You're crazy..." She finally came to that conclusion. To her, he was still a playboy and that would never change, but maybe his insanity contributed to his personality. There was definitely a loose screw somewhere up there.

"I'll be whatever you want me to be, princess," he responded with a wink before continuing, "Well, what do you say?"

"...Very crazy..." Letting out a heavy sigh, Megumi shook her head unable to believe what she was agreeing to. "Fine. Till Valentine's Day."

"Yeah!" Sendoh fist pumped and she rolled her eyes in annoyance, remaining silent. Well, at least she was getting something out of this deal. Even though things didn't go completely according to plan, at least the end result was what she wanted.

"You know, seven days is a really short time. There are about a hundred and one odds against you," she remarked dryly.

Despite the girl's flat demeanor, it didn't drag him down. Instead, Sendoh smiled. Smiled! Unbelievable! That idiot really thought he had a chance. He didn't even know her name so he shouldn't even bother trying!

By the disbelieving look on the brunette's face, the basketball player knew this was going to have fun. He couldn't help but feel that this girl will be one of his toughest customers yet. To seal the deal, Ryonan's ace outstretched his hand for her to take.

"I know, but that means there's still a chance. So, deal then?"

"…Deal."

* * *

"I'm home!"

Megumi was greeted with silence as she entered her barren home, slipping off her shoes in the doorway. Making her way through the living room, she carefully maneuvered her bare feet around empty beer cans and mysterious stains on the ground that she'd have to clean up later. When she finally reached the kitchen, she noticed several stacks of food stained dishes cluttering both sides of the sink. The smell was the first to catch her attention.

Sighing, Megumi began work cleaning up the mess in both the kitchen and the living room.

It took about an hour, but she finished. Dumping the trash outside, she returned to the kitchen to search the cupboards for any semblance of food. As usual, there was nothing but an expired container of store-bought sushi and instant noodles. The sushi found a new home in the garbage while the noodles made friends with hot water.

Clutching the cup noodles in one hand and chopsticks in the other, Megumi made her way up the stairs to her bedroom.

As she passed by a mirror in the hallway, she glanced at her reflection. The girl that stared back at her seemed much smaller, weaker and pathetic than the face she put up in school. Her form had shrunken, hunched over as if bearing a weight of shame. The girl took a step closer to her counterpart, touching her cheek. The pads of her fingers lightly brushed against her cheekbone, bringing attention to a faint, yellowish-purple ring. She brushed her skin once more and a peachy powder was swept off the surface, revealing a darker, harsher color than before.

Lips forming a thin line of disgust, she turned and continued to her bedroom.

Once inside, she elbowed the light switch, bringing the facade of life to the walled off space. The walls were empty, the floor was sparkling clean and the only signs that anyone lived there was the single pillow and blanket neatly folded on a one man bed stashed in the farthest corner of the room. The right wall sported a single window, just wide enough to squeeze through, which filtered some light onto a laptop on her study table.

Lifting the thin machine off the desk, she took it to her bed, sat down and turned it on. Eventually, it sprung to life. When it did, the brunette seemed to hesitate and had a hand placed on the top of the laptop ready to shut it. However, she stopped herself and proceeded to log onto her e-mail and type.

* * *

_Hey Kae-chan,_

_How are you? How's your mom? Sorry I haven't written in awhile, but I've been pretty busy with school. You know, the whole Valentine's Dance and such. And to answer your previous question; yes, I am perfectly fine! Dad takes really good care of me and takes me out to dinner a lot. He rarely drinks anymore too and he hasn't tried to hurt me either. So yeah, don't worry about me, I'm A-okay! _

_Anyway, so I met this weirdo who says that if he can get the gym for the dance, I have to give him a chance to win my heart. Crazy right? He has absolutely no chance!_

_But enough about me. What have you been eating lately? Don't tell me it's cup noodles! If it is, I'm coming over! You need to take better care of yourself. You're still a growing boy, you know?_

_Hope to hear from you soon!_

Send?  
**Yes.** No.

* * *

**A/N: **Edited June 6th 2010 and June 4, 2013.

*****Although _**Tenma**_ can mean "heavens; sky; imperial" (ten) and "true; reality" (ma), Daichi's usage of the word Tenma is _**'demon and or evil spirit'**_,

_Thoughts? Comments? Corrections? Review please!  
__(I really like constructive criticism)_


	3. Chapter 3: Introductions

_Ryonan High School, Kanagawa Prefecture: Thursday, February 9th__

Tinted rays of gold shone through the film of dust covering windows of the Student Council Room. The slivers of light that could wiggle past chose to warm the President's seat that hid behind an old wooden desk with its edges chipped from years of use. Papers were sloppily stacked to the right of the desk while the left was covered with miscellaneous pencils, pens and erasers. Dead center of the table was an overflowing heap of lost and found items coated in a sort of dried brownish substance.

This was the customary state of the Student Council Room when in the care of three boys and two girls. The boys couldn't care less about cleanliness let alone personal hygiene. The other girl cared more about her physical image than the small, cramped room which they held meetings in or simply hid in to skip class. The president too contributed since she had long since given up trying to clean up the never-ending mess.

Scrunched up pieces of paper littered the ground coupled with bright metallic pieces of food wrappers. The rubbish bin, situated at the furthest regions of the room, donned a skirt of multicolored fliers and papers that overflowed onto the floor. The tiles were stained with different colored substances whose chemical compositions were best left unknown.

Even the ever so stubborn Megumi V. Kobayashi knew that any attempt at keeping the place clean would end in futility. The godforsaken chaos would return the moment her council members arrived. So, the clutter remained.

It was the President who was first to make it to the room as usual, hoping to enjoy what brief tranquility she could as she worked. Hopefully the others won't turn up so earl-

The front door broke off its hinges.

'_Goddamnit.' _Megumi winced as she could literally see the money they had put into getting that door slip away into oblivion. Maybe if she could just escape quietly-

"Mi-chan! We're here to st—OH MY GOD—Are you trying to kill yourself?!" Kimiyo screeched when she spotted her president with one foot on the windowsill, a hand clutching the wall while in a ready-to-jump position. It was a rather... easily misinterpreted situation to say the least.

Sweat beaded at the back of the brunette's head as she tried to form an excuse. Nothing came.

"Uhhh... No…?"

She didn't even have a chance to explain herself. The second she parted her lips to continue, the air was knocked out of her lungs by a vicious side tackle from none other than Kenji Takahashi. The two skipped across the dirtied floor, smashing into a couple chairs before stopping at a very nice, hard wall.

Groaning, Megumi attempted to sit up, shoving Kenji off of her. Rubbing the sore spot at the back of her head, she let out a disgruntle moan as she thought to herself.

'_Today's going to be a very long day…'_

* * *

In the brisk, early morning, students trickled through the school gates, chatting with friends in the courtyard as they made their way to class. It was a relatively slow morning with a few panicked procrastinators scribbling chicken scratches on last week's homework. Slow, sleepy and mundane was the morning till the serenity was shattered by an overzealous voice.

"Sendoh-sempai! Sendoh-sempai! I've got the information you wanted!"

Hikoichi Aida practically barreled past students and teachers alike in order to get to the class of his idol. Waving his notebook in the air, he attempted to catch Sendoh's attention, only to have it slip out of his fingers and hit Koshino in the face.

"Oi!"

"S-sorry Koshino-sempai!"

Sendoh, who was passing out in his seat, shot up. Finally, he was able to get some info on this Valentine-san he was up against. Thank god for knowing the right people.

Koshino, curious now, turned about to straddle his seat's backrest.

Slamming a single sheet of paper onto Sendoh's desk, Hikoichi began to shoot off information as quick as a rabid chipmunk. All Sendoh really caught from it all was 'Megumi Valentine', 'family', 'father' and 'manga'. So, glancing over at the sheet of paper, he scanned the characters to make sense of what was being said. It read:

'_Name: Megumi Valentine Kobayashi  
__Age: 18  
__Class: 3 - 1  
__Height: 167cm  
__Weight: 58kg  
__Hair color: Black. (Dyed brown)  
__Birthday: 9th March  
__Junior High: Tomigaoka  
__Family: Father.  
__Hobbies: Reading manga, calligraphy and dancing.  
__Favorite sport: -_

_Megumi V. Kobayashi is supposedly the only child of a single father. It is assumed that her parents divorced. She is the unpopular third year Student Council President at Ryonan High because she scored the second highest on the final tests of her Second Year. The highest scorer chose to be the Vice President. She is famed as a 'man hater' and has a very domineering personality around men but is extremely tolerant of girls. She was also in the same class with Uozumi throughout kindergarten and elementary school. _

Cerulean eyes widened in shock and Sendoh's mouth hung agape as he read the words 'Student Council President' several times over as if it had been painted in blood. He mouthed the words silently as he tried to make sense of how he had not known that. Maybe that's why she seemed insulted when he didn't know who she was... Though it brought a strange comfort to him knowing that she was known for disliking men in general and that it was _just _him.

Koshino, who had been peeking over his friend's shoulder, piped up. "I don't know what you want with her, but I suggest you forget about it... that girl's trouble." From first hand experience after being set up on a blind date with her, he was emotionally scarred after the rest of the council decided to tag along 'stealthily'. Till this day, he can't help but cringe every time he passes by the Student Council Room. But that's a different story for a different time.

Ignoring his friend's warning, Sendoh leaned back in his chair and let his thoughts wander. For several moments he thought on what to do next. Eventually, his lips broke into a mischievous grin, puzzling the other two. Finally, he spoke.

"Hey guys, I need a favor..."

* * *

_Bzzt! Bzzt! … Bzzt! Bzzt!_

A cell phone buzzed in the vice-president's pants pocket, drawing his attention to the device. Pulling it from his pocket, he raised a curious brow when the number came up as 'Unknown'. Sliding his fingers across the touch screen, he pulled up the text. "Hmm...? What's this...?" After reading through the messages, his lips curled into a smirk and his eyes flicked up to study the others who were in the room.

Megumi V. Kobayashi, the third year president, was buried under stacks of paperwork that she had been putting off till the last minute.

Kimiyou Satou, the second year treasurer, was painting her nails and staring at her reflection in the mirror just to style her hair in different fashions and make flirtatious expressions.

Daichi Yamamoto, the second year secretary, son of a very successful businessman and famed fashion designer, was playing truant as usual.

Kenji Takahashi, who had patched up the dent in the wall with plaster and fixed the door into place with duct tape, was in the 'timeout zone' to reflect on his behavior.

Glancing back at the message, he let out a soft sigh before standing. Making his way through the junkyard, he set his sights on a pile of papers stacked ever so precariously at the edge of Megumi's desk. Then, with an ever so light tap, sent the stack tumbling down and scattering all over the floor like snow.

"Oops… Sorry about that, Pres," he muttered his apathetic apology as Megumi shot him a murderous glare from under the pile of paper cuts. The brunette opened her mouth to speak, only to splutter out a few incoherencies and a string of profanities. She must have been pretty angry is she was in chipmunk mode.

Placing a hand on the girl's shoulder after digging her out, Ichiro motioned for her to breathe. So, the president paused and breathed in attempts to calm herself down before blowing a gasket.

Speaking in a calm and steady voice, the raven-haired boy spoke ever so gently, "Why don't you take a break while we clean up here? Maybe get to lunch early?"

The girl shot him a look of incredulous disbelief. Who is he and what had he done with the real Ichiro? "...Really?" She inspected him several times over trying to make out whether or not he really was her childhood friend. She suspected alien probing... or cloning.

Ichiro merely shook his head with a reassuring smile. He expected this reaction from her -though he did feel a twinge from the insulting disbelief. They had known each other since kindergarten after all. "Yes, really. Just thought you needed some relaxation for once," he stated simply, shrugging his shoulders.

Yes, Megumi doubted Ichiro's 'sincere act', uncertain about the condition of the room upon her return. Did she let it bother her? Not really. The group could blow up the school for all she cared –just as long as she wasn't in it. So, the brunette was out the door in a flash, but not before reminding Ichiro that Kenji would need to take his nap before lunch and have some milk and cookies ready for him when he awakens. This caused Ichiro to shake his head and sigh. Did she seriously think that he didn't know what his little brother needed to stop from being a baby for a whole week?

Well… maybe because they hadn't lived their lives together ever since their parents split… but that too is a story for another story.

"See ya'll later then."  
"'Kay, later."  
"Byeeee Mi-chan!"

Once out of sight, Ichiro turned to the other members who had caught on to his mischief. Whatever it was, they were sure that it would definitely piss off their volatile president. She'd most probably end up throwing fits and miscellaneous items such as papers, staplers, chairs, desks, people… pretty much anything that was in her line of sight.

No one wanted that to happen _again_...

"Uh, whatever you're thinking of, count me out. I'm not getting chucked out the window like last time," Kenji grumbled as he turned to face his corner again. Just five minutes left till his naptime...

Ichiro couldn't blame his little brother for fearing the president. After all, the last time they shoved her off the edge, Ichiro received multiple bruises from various flying projectiles, Kenji was thrown out a window, Daichi was hospitalized for a week while Kimiyo got off easy with a bruise on the top of her head. Megumi was like a violent drunken Hulk when pushed too far.

The Vice President simply rolled his shoulders simply as he answered, "Well, that's the thing. I don't want you to do anything... it's all up to _him_."

"He who?" Anxious anticipation began to form on Kenji's face as he waited for Ichiro to respond. Instead, his big brother merely smiled as he glanced up at the translucent glass at the top of the doorway, which was now propped up and taped to its frame with duct tape. It seemed that standing outside was a rather tall hedge of grass with its tips barely peeking over the door.

Without so much as a knock, the door was pushed open, only for it to break apart from its weak bindings and collide into the stone cold floor with a deafening thud.

Kenji's eyes widened and his mouth slackened. Partially because he had spent half an hour fixing that door, but mostly because of the person stood in front of them.

Sendoh Akira, basketball ace of Ryonan.  
Sendoh Akira, the chick magnet with a fan base on par with Kaeda Rukawa's.

Bowing his head apologetically, Sendoh piped up. "Sorry about the door. I'll pay for it! But right now, I need a small favor!"

* * *

_**A/N: **_Edited July 14th 2010 and June 5th 2013. Deleted a lot. Retyped a lot. Shortened some, lengthened some. Changed her information.

_Thoughts? Comments? Corrections? Review please!_


	4. Chapter 4: Announcement

_Ryonan High School, Kanagawa Prefecture: Thursday, February 9th__

A cool morning breeze brushed past lazy lime leaves bouncing in the wind. Dampened emerald moss clung to blackened bark of an ancient cherry blossom tree framed by fiery fluorescent flowers. A few feet from the behemoth tree was a crystal clear pond, teeming with golden carp that fed off breadcrumbs and dragonflies that dared to skim the water's surface whilst dodging hungry beaks. Diminutive birds fluttered freely from tree to tree, singing their melodies, resonating through the air, melding with others to form a chorus of songs.

Under the tree napped the infamous Student Council President with a few leaves nestled into her hair. Beside her lay several manga and her lunch, which consisted of a tuna sandwich and a carton of milk she bought from the lunchroom. The change of wind speeds caused the girl to stir before her stomach's rumbling awakened her. Arching her back, Megumi sat up, brushing the leaves from her head. She figured it was best to eat before the annoyances –her friends who are the rest of the student council—joined her for lunch.

Ignoring the tugging sensation at the back of her mind, Megumi began to tuck into her lunch.

* * *

"So... I have to clean this place for three days to use the P.A system?"

Sendoh was surprised by the deal, but it wasn't something he was unwilling to do. It just seemed, a little too easy a task –and a weird one—to use the school's overhead speakers for what he wanted to do. Not to mention, he'd have an excuse to see Megumi more and heighten his chances at winning her heart. Now, all that was left on his part was to convince Coach Taoka to let Megumi use the gym for the dance. That may be a problem, but being the ace of the basketball team did have its perks.

Ichiro nodded once, shifting his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he did so. If the basketball ace were to do something to piss off Megumi, he might as well have something ready that may tone her anger down a bit. Anyway, she had said that the room needed to be cleaned –several months ago.

"Yes. It is a deal?"  
"Deal!"

Without bothering to think about the consequences, Sendoh continued to push forward, ready to worry about the little details later. Ichiro, who was having far too much fun to stop, decided to let fate play its cards. Curious to how it will all play out, the manipulator made mental computations to predict the possible outcome of the situation. Judging by Megumi's fiery disposition and Sendoh's straightforward character, this would be one hilarious result. By hilarious, Ichiro imagined some broken bones to be involved.

Missing the devious smirk on the vice president's face and the cowering of the other two members, Sendoh grabbed the keys to the Announcement room and headed next door. Grabbing the mike off its stand and flicking the 'on' button, he lifted the mike to his lips and cleared his throat. Parting his lips, Sendoh's plan commenced.

"Hey everyone! This is Sendoh Akira, number seven, from the basketball team. Sorry to interrupt, but I'd like to make an announcement."

Megumi jolted at the sound of the voice, made several choking sounds before she could successfully coughed out bits of her tuna sandwich. _'The hell is going on?!' she_ thought in alarm as she began to chug down her milk in order to dislodge a piece of tuna that was stuck in her throat.

"_By Valentine's Day, I will have won the heart of Student Council President, Megumi Kobayashi."_

The aforementioned teen began to choke and splutter incomprehensibly as milk shot out from her nose. What. What? WHAT?

'_That cocky little... What the hell is that boy trying to do?!' _

When she recovered some coherency, Megumi let out a string of profanities among which Sendoh's name was coupled with conjugate vulgar words that will not be stated in this story. She was going to _kill _that boy –Ichiro as well. This had Ichiro written all over it.

"_But until then, all you other guys, hands off her, alright?"_

Megumi shot up to her feet and broke out in a mad dash to the Announcement room. As she ran down the halls, she received mixed looks of amusement, jealousy and even pity. Amusement from the guys who could witness the man-hater lose her cool. Jealousy from Sendoh's fan girls. Pity from the few sane girls who knew what would happen to Megumi at the hands of the fan girls after this escapade.

"_After all, she will be my future girlfriend."_

"Who the hell's going to be your future girlfriend?!" Megumi screamed, shaking her fist at the speakers as she skidded around a corner. Just wait till she gets her hands on that boy... he wouldn't dare look at her when she was done with him!

* * *

"I repeat-"

Sendoh was cut short by the sound of a door being slammed open, splintering wood off of its edges. Well, that faster than he expected.

Kenji had backed up to the wall, ready to throw himself out the window at a moment's notice. Kimiyou seemed to find some sort of philosophical meaning to the marks in the ceiling as if the meaning of life was there. Ichiro, being the smart one, had already calculated this reaction and thus, hid himself in a broom closet.

Stepping through the doorway was a hulking figure who made its way towards Sendoh, whose cheery smile had quickly faded to fear. To everyone's surprise, it wasn't Megumi, rather, a very, very pissed off Jun Uozumi –captain of the boy's basketball team.

All Sendoh could do was swallow hard and attempt to laugh as his captain's piercing stare bore through him. It was a glare that would send a grown man cowering, curling into a fetal position. Sendoh knew full well the consequences for skipping practice for something like this was not going to be pretty.

_Wham!_

"What do you think you're doing?" Uozumi bellowed after his fist collided into Sendoh's thick cranium, killing a couple of brain cells. As long as it knocked some sense into his head, having him drop a couple IQ points was worth it.

"Ow…" Sendoh whimpered as he clutched the swelling bump on top of his head; that was going to need some ice soon. But his captain's penetrating gaze was enough to make him swallow his pain and stutter a weak apology. He didn't want another punch that may ruin his face or worse, flatten his hair.

Uozumi shook his head, worrying about the future of Ryonan's basketball team. Obviously, Sendoh would be his replacement as captain –despite his questionable reliability. Unless Sendoh could prioritize his life style, the team would go to the dogs. Luckily, there was still time to make him shape up.

"Ahem!"

The gorilla of a man stiffened and turned as slowly as a creaking door before taking one large step aside for the person behind him, revealing a fuming Megumi Kobayashi.

"And just _what _is going on here?" she demanded, arms folded across her chest as her foot tapped against tiles in a domineering manner. Her lips were curled into a cruel snarl as her strained voice passed through them. It was clear from her tense mannerisms that she was about ready to explode.

Uozumi, sensing this, quickly bowed. Drilling his gaze into the ground, he apologized stiffly, stuttering and stumbling over his tongue. With one hand, he shoved Sendoh's head down to do the same.

Sendoh, after his apology, allowed his curious mind to wonder about this peculiar situation. His captain was a man of power who would stare down his opponent regardless of the situation. Now, he was reduced a stuttering mess. This was strange not because it went against what was 'him' but because they were childhood friends –according to Hikoichi's information anyway. So what could it be? No, no. It couldn't be possible…

'_Is he in love with her?!'_

The sudden realization nearly bowled him over and caused him to choke on his spit.

But before Sendoh could make a bigger fool of himself, Uozumi yanked him out of the room by the scruff off his shirt. Yet, even as he was being dragged off, he was able to let out a few strangled words, which were then cut short by a thump of a fist. It sounded something like this:

"I'll be baaaa-ack!"

Megumi rubbed her temples and heaved a irritated sigh before turning to her fellow Student Council members. Kimiyou, who had finally lost interest in the ceiling, grinned nervously as she edged closer and closer to the door. Ichiro, who had come out of hiding, was seated comfortably in a chair as he feigned attention to his clipboard. He was acting as if he hadn't been the one to let Sendoh humiliate his president over the Public Announcement system. Kenji was no longer in the vicinity and the window where he had once stood by was thrown wide open. She'll hunt him down later.

"You know Mi-chan, you and Sendoh would make a _really_ cute couple," Kimiyou muttered snarkily, inching closer towards the door.

Megumi froze before she slowly turned her head, craning it to the side as if she were leering down at the girl.

"Kimiyou… is your mouth your ass?"  
"Uh... no…?"  
"Then stop spouting shit."  
"…Yes ma'am."

Now, shooting Ichiro a dangerous glare, she snapped at him.

"Why did you let that idiot do that?!"

Without batting an eye, Ichiro responded with a single shrug. "I thought it'd be funny."

"_Funny_…?" Megumi couldn't believe this. Her past two years were filled with unproblematic bliss. She was never picked on by anyone, she never got in trouble with teachers, she did fantastic on her tests and she kept her PE scores average in order to avoid being recruited by any crazy sports clubs. All in all, she had a very uneventful, energy conserving life till this very moment.

Megumi began to chuckle softly at first. Then, her little chuckle grew louder and louder, tipping over the borderline of hysteria. Her eyes seemed to be burning with something… evil. Thoroughly freaked out, those who were in the room began to inch their way towards the door, ready to make a break for it.

"Hehe, yeah, that was pretty _funny_. Hey, do you want to see something _funnier_?"  
"No than-"  
"RAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

With a deafening war cry, Megumi grabbed the closest thing to her and threw it at them like a professional javelin thrower. That thing, Kenji Takahashi. Apparently, he hadn't jumped out of the window and resigned himself to cowering under a desk. Now, he wished he had thrown himself off the second floor.

As he flew, he flew across the room in style, screaming a high C.

The two who had seen this a mile away, ducked down just in time to dodge the torpedoing soprano who would have collided with the door, if it had not been opened by Daichi Yamamoto.

"Hey guys, I heard you were here—"

Daichi was cut short when his forehead collided with Kenji's. There was a loud, hollow 'thunk'. Following it, an even louder crash as the two boys fell, one on top of the other, unconscious.

* * *

"What did you think you were doing?"

This was the start of an hour-long lecture Sendoh was about to receive from Coach Taoka when he arrived at the gym. Despite the unwanted audience of eavesdropping players, Sendoh swallowed hard and took in his coach's ranting.

"Using the P.A system for something like that! What is wrong with you Akira Sendoh? You are to be the next captain of this team! You humiliated us with your actions! What were you thinking? _Were_ you even thinking?" the coach roared, face turning purple as his body shook furiously. Since the excuse 'I overslept' was out, he couldn't wait to hear what kind of excuse Sendoh would use to get out of this mess.

In the end, the ace's straightforward honesty left everyone dumbfounded.

"Because I want her."

* * *

The Student Council Room was a warzone. Desks were overturned, paper scattered across the floor with shoe imprints while chairs were missing legs. It was as if a typhoon must have magically formed in the room, destroying everything in its wake.

Kneeling in a line on one side of the room were Kimiyou, Kenji and Ichiro with their feet tucked under their bottoms and hands on their laps. Piled on top of their hands and laps were several comically large textbooks. The trio had been ordered to keep that position for the next half hour, ensuring the stinging pain of sleepy legs. On the other side of the room sat Daichi on a stool, nursing his red forehead with an ice pack. Sure, he wasn't in nearly as much trouble as the three stooges in the corner, but he was still in trouble for being late to school, and skipping meetings for the past week to hang out at the arcade or get in some kind of gang fight.

Crossing her arms over her chest, the Student Council President demanded, "and just where have you been, Daichi?"

Daichi rolled his eyes and grunted.

"Chill mom, I was in Narnia."

* * *

"Coach, please let her have the gym," Sendoh pleaded, lowering himself to his knees as he leveled himself with the ground. It was quite a display to behold by his peers and fan girls. Even his coach was at a loss for words.

"I'll do anything you want. So, please coach!" His forehead brushed against the gym floor, his voice bouncing back at him as it smacked against the surface.

Coach Taoka, now feeling the harsh stares of fan girls and hopeful eyes of other players on him, finally consented with a nod. "Fine… But!" he quickly added before Sendoh could run off and tell him 'girlfriend' the news. "You must be on time to every practice this week _and _win the practice match against Shoyo this Sunday or the deal is off." Hopefully, this would be more than enough drive for Sendoh to win their match. If their ace were to be fired up about the match, surely his teammates would be as well.

Immediately, Sendoh shot up from his kneeling position to shoot his coach one of his trademark smiles.

"Then, let's get practicing!"

* * *

The grueling day was coming to a close with Megumi as the last to lock up the Student Council Room. Despite the day's 'highlights', everything else continued smoothly. Although, she did receive glares from many girls in the hallways as well as strange looks from students and teachers alike. As much as she abhorred the thought, she knew that the hot gossip circulating the school was about her and Sendoh. As much as she entertained the thought, she knew murder through strangulation would send her to jail. So, throughout the day, she kept her hands by her sides, fingers clenched into two tight balls.

'_Sendoh Akira…. I will get my reven—'  
_"Hey, princess."  
"HOLY SH—!"

Just as she turned about to leave, she let out a shrill scream as she leapt back, nearly tripping over herself. "What the hell are you doing here?!" Megumi gasped for air, wheezing as a hand clutched her panicked heart.

Sendoh Akira, who had lowered his head down to her level had stood dangerously close to her so that if she were to turn his way, all she would see were two big blue eyes. Now, he was beaming like the smug little idiot she wished to kill. He couldn't help it though. This was the best reaction he'd ever received.

"I just want to walk you home, princess," Sendoh admitted sheepishly, his cheeky grin growing even wider than before.

Megumi, now relatively calm, rolled her eyes. Apparently he hadn't given up on her just yet. Oh well, he will soon. All she had to do was keep up her pompous snob act. Snobs are usually a turn off to guys. Plus, he didn't seem like the type to keep at one girl for long.

"Fine." With that, Megumi Kobayashi dropped her bag and stacks of paperwork into Sendoh's outstretched arms. Outstretched because he was attempting to grab her hand and kiss it like he was some prince charming. "But you'll be carrying my stuff," she commanded, taking the lead as she headed for home.

Sendoh, no longer taken aback by her demanding personality, nodded and continued to grin as he followed closely behind her.

* * *

The walk home was a long, silent journey which brought the two along a river bank, past a brand new kindergarten, a lively playground, up a steep incline and rows upon rows of rich, uniform bungalows that weaved along paths. Streaks of the sun's rays painted the sky in intervals of pink and purple, fading into a deep blue at the ends. Birds cooed on occasion, fluttering towards their roosts as crickets began their lazy chirps.

Sendoh, unable to take the silence any longer, piped up enthusiastically, "Princess, I got coach to agree in letting you use the gym,"

Megumi hid her surprise behind a flat expression and a monotone voice. "Oh? So I guess you did keep to your promise... That's good."

Most found this indifferent, hurtful persona of hers to be a barrier they did not have the time or patience to overcome. Not Sendoh. He was special –special in the head. The boy clearly lacked substantial gray matter if he could brush off her arrogant personality with just a laugh and a shake of the head.

To keep silence from ensuing, Sendoh continued to grapple at straws to find a conversation starter.

"I haven't seen you in the cafeteria before," he remarked. It was a feeble attempt to strike up a conversation of sorts.

It was random, but Megumi figured she'd at least entertain him with meaningless chatter. So, she simply rolled her shoulders as a noncommittal gesture. "It's too crowded. Plus, I don't really eat lunch anyway. I don't make my own food and usually don't have cash to buy any. When I do though, I just go to lunch early to avoid the lunchtime rush," she replied drearily.

"Oh?" Sendoh blinked once. "Maybe I could help—" He stopped when Megumi halted.

Glancing ahead, he realized they were outside the gates of a rather auspicious estate with two polished cars parked in the driveway. The perfectly manicured lawn ringed the house with a natural stone path that lead up to a koi fountain at the very front of the modernized home with two solar panels attached to the roof. To the far right corner was a single, wrinkled cherry blossom tree yet to bloom. Under it sat a lonely stone bench. Everything about the place seemed so clean and perfect. Though there was something about the place that seemed… empty.

Megumi cleared her throat, drawing his attention back to her. "And this is where you lea—"

_Ka clack._

The two brought their attention to the two figures that hovered at the doorway. A man and a woman. The man looked to be in his mid forties, clean-shaven with his greasy raven hair swept aside in visible streaks. His sea blue eyes were sharp as they landed on Sendoh. The man donned a crisp clean suit and a silken tie, both black. His shoes, although slightly scuffed at the rims, were polished just recently as the shoe wax could be smelled from where Sendoh stood.

The woman didn't seem to notice the smell though. In fact, she was all over the man, clinging to his arm as if she were his accessory. The woman's hair was long, a reddish brown –the normal, cheap color one would dye their hair—and rolled down her back in gentle waves. Her rose painted lips were curled into a sweet seductive smile yet her beady brown gaze was filled with something sinister as it focused on the two at the doorway. Those eyes of hers were ringed with mascara and eye shadow while her lashes were lengthened by falsies. She took another step closer to the man, burying his arm in the crevice of her voluptuous bosom. This woman was clad in a red temptress's cocktail dress that split down her back till it reached her tailbone. The front, well, it was a miracle her breasts hadn't fallen out of it yet. The edges of her dress barely covered her bottom and with every sashay of her hips, black lace panties could be spotted underneath, attached to torn French stockings. To be frank, the lady didn't seem like the type of woman any respectable man would date.

'_A prostitute? No… an escort?'_ Sendoh wondered to himself as he quickly glanced away from the shameless couple that was now making out on their porch with their hands all over each other in places he did not want to see. '_Probably a prostitute…' _

That's when he heard Megumi mutter something he couldn't quite catch. Curious, he turned to the spot beside him only to find it vacant and the girl who once stood there, several steps away. Not knowing what else to do, Sendoh hurried over to her. "Hey, hey, princess, wasn't that—"

"Wrong house," she mumbled.

Despite her swallowing her words, he caught them. Though, they only confused him further. That house clearly was hers. It even had the name 'Kobayashi' engraved right beside the gate on a stone plaque. Sendoh wished to speak up, but she seemed to be walking faster and faster away from her 'house'. So, adjusting his grip on her bag and papers, he worked on catching up to her.

Paying just enough attention to Megumi as to not step on her feet, Sendoh continued to glance back at the couple. The couple, it seemed, had stepped into a car with two audible thumps of doors. An engine revved, the automatic gates clattered open and the car zipped out onto the street. It was a black Mercedes that passed the two, rounding the corner just in front of them.

Megumi halted in her tracks, Sendoh following in suit, nearly running into her.

"That's enough. I can go home by myself now."

Her voice was strained as she turned about to grab her things from Sendoh's arms. "Goodnight," she whispered, leaving with quick strides before he could even respond.

"P-princess wait—" He had turned to stop her only to falter in midsentence when she froze and glanced back at him. The first thing that caught his attention was the glimmer of wet eyes and a stiff upper lip that kept the tears of embarrassed humiliation at bay. Thrown off his guard, Sendoh could only nod dumbly as his clumsy lips parted, "Ah… goodnight then."

* * *

_WHAM!_

Slamming her bedroom door shut, Megumi flung her bag across her room, scattering books everywhere before her wardrobe stopped it. Sinking into her leather chair, the brunette ran her hands through her hair, gathering the strands into tangled clumps. Then, dropping her head onto the wooden top, she buried it into the folds of her arms. A frustrated scream echoed throughout the empty house.

Empty.  
Empty.  
Empty.

_Thunk!_

Megumi slammed her fist against her desk before groggily propping herself back up on her elbows. Tapping her fingers along the wood, she finally decided to flick on her laptop and type away another e-mail.

* * *

_Kae-chan,_

_Today was one of the worse days ever, to be honest. You know that crazy guy from before? Yeah, well today he used to P.A system, yes, the P.A system to announce to the school that he was trying to court me! Now the ENTIRE school knows! It was so embarrassing…. And what's worse? His fangirls are gonna target me for sure. Ugh. I doubt this'll blow over anytime soon._

_Anyways, dad wasn't drunk tonight as he usually is. In fact, he was sober enough to take a hooker to bang at some high-end hotel. Seriously, just a few days ago, he got so drunk that when I tried to get him to bed, he slapped me and then called the police on me! But, this was probably the fourth time this month he's done that, so the police didn't bother coming and asked me over the phone if they needed to call for an ambulance in case my dad needed his stomach pumped…._

_When I tried to get him to the hospital, he hit me again and again… _

_Oh god Kae-chan, I miss you so much. Please save me—_

Megumi stopped her fingers before they could continue any further. Gradually, her gaze reread everything up till the place where she stopped and grimaced at her own words. What was she thinking? There was no way she could possibly send something like that to him. If she did, he'd definitely come in, fists blazing and pummel her dad to death. No, there was no way she could tell him that.

So, with two clicks, the previous message was deleted in less than a second. Then, she began to rewrite the e-mail with happier connotations:

Hey Kae-chan~!

So the maniac I told you about used the _P.A system to blab to the entire school that he was trying to 'court' me! Seriously, he's going to be the death of me…. Anyway, it seems like dad's got himself another girl. Maybe it'll work out this time? Dad never could keep a hold of a relationship for long. Well, other than that I guess nothing really happened. Oh wait! I almost forgot! The idiot actually kept his side of the bargain and was able to get his coach to agree in letting the Student Council use the gym for Valentine's Day! Isn't that great? Well, I'm going to go buy some groceries so, hope to hear from you soon!_

_Love Megumi._

Send?

**Yes.** No.

_S_atisfied with her short-and-sweet message, Megumi hit send. Sure that the reply wouldn't come to her for a full twelve hours, she decided to surf the net before hitting the pile of homework sitting in her bag –well, on the floor now. However, only a few minutes later, she heard the ever recognizable 'ding' of a message reaching her inbox. Curious, she opened it. It was a short, simple one liner, but there was enough meaning in it to cause her heart to ache.

'_If you're so miserable there that you would lie to me, you should come here and live with me.'_

Then, the tears came.

* * *

**A/N:** Edited July 2010 and 16th June 2013. Dang, this chapter started from funny (I hope) and ended, pretty dang sad. In the 2013 edit, I changed a lot of things such as grammar, sentence structures, etc. But the thing that I completely changed was from the point Sendoh said, "Maybe I could help—" till the end. And I honestly adore the change. Their reactions are much more realistic than the old version.

Please review. I'd really appreciate it!


	5. Chapter 5: Accident

_Ryonan High School, Kanagawa Prefecture: Friday, February 10th__

Golden drops of sunlight dripped lazily over mountain peaks, flowing groggily over a sleeping Japan, signaling the start of a new morning. The yellowing sky remained void of any cloud cover, promising another sweltering day at hand. Resonating through the misty air were the songs of birds till they were drowned out by a single tune that interchanged from a simple hum, a high-pitched whistle and occasional words. It was a tune so bright and cheerful that it seemed to capture the essence of happiness itself –one that would cause shivers to run down Megumi's spine if she were to hear it. Accompanying this lighthearted tune was the ominous squelching of a cleaver slicing through meat, and then embedded itself into a wooden board.

There was only one in the whole of Kanagawa with such ungodly enthusiasm at the break of dawn.

Sendoh Akira.

Standing in his small kitchen, hovering over a marble counter, the large basketball player held a cleaver in one hand with a menacing aura around him. Then, he brought down the blade with such speed and precision, it cut through the flesh like softened butter.

In two separate lunch boxes, Sendoh arranged several alternating slices of raw salmon and tuna in a form of a ring around of his homemade bite sized rice balls. Both boxes were flat, square and adorned with intricate carvings of cherry blossoms on its wooden surface. In them were also pickled ginger; slices of lemon, egg rolls, mini sausages in the shape of octopi and more rice mixed with shredded seaweed, black sesame seeds and a plum.

Shutting the lids on both school lunches, Sendoh secured them with cloths of differing shades of blue. Throwing a glance over his shoulder at a flooded sink piled high with last week's dishes, he grimaced knowing that he'll have to wash them later.

Looking back at the two lunches, he mumbled, "I hope she likes it…" Maybe that would cheer her up, after what happened yesterday.

Then, Sendoh glanced out the window at his bike now parked in the garage, but decided against it after a moment's thought. Running was a much better exercise anyway.

* * *

Sendoh stifled a yawn as he entered the desolate school grounds. He'd woken up a whole hour earlier to make those two lunches. After burning the first set of eggs while daydreaming, he had to rush the rest of the food. Luckily, everything else turned out fine due to his uncanny luck. Still, it was early –too early for basketball practice, but that was just fine. After all, he had promised to clean the Student Council Room for three days. This was just one of them.

So started Sendoh's misadventures in the room of unending filth.

"Where do I start...?"

Those were Sendoh's dismayed words as he stood at the doorway of the Student Council Room. With a broom and pan in hand, he inspected the dirt, papers, food and grime that blanketed the floor an inch thick. This impossible task was sure to end in failure. In fact, that was exactly what was scrawled on a large sheet of paper taped onto the wall.

Ripping the piece of paper from the wall, Sendoh shook his head as he tossed it into the trashcan. Surprisingly, it was the cleanest thing in this room.

Letting out a sigh, he rolled up his sleeves and set to work.

It all happened in the boy's locker rooms that morning, just before basketball practice. Sendoh, after an hour of cleaning, had finally arrived to change out of his school uniform and into an old, worn jersey, gym shorts and a pair of new sneakers. Since he was a little later than he had intended, his other teammates had all left the locker rooms to start their stretches; except Captain Uozumi.

The two exchanged pleasantries before Sendoh turned to his locker and removed his sports attire, stripping off his clothes and shoved them into the cramped, cluttered space. The only thing he didn't roughly shove into his locker were the two lunch boxes he prepared that morning. In fact, he even created a flat space on top of the clothes before he carefully placed the two boxes on.

Curious, Uozumi asked who the lunches were for. Although it was most likely for Sendoh's gargantuan appetite, it seemed more like the type of lunch a girl would pack for her boyfriend. A gift from the fan girls perhaps?

"These? Well, one's for me, and one's for Megumi-chan."

The innocent response sent a shiver down Uozumi's spine. Uozumi could have sworn that his heart stopped at the mere mention of her name. After all, when you speak of the devil, the devil will come.

Swallowing the nervous wad lodged in his throat, he spoke, "Sendoh, forget about Kobayashi-san. For your sake."

That was when the reminder of his earlier epiphany returned. Sendoh, although dreading the answer, asked a question that had been bothering him for a while.

"Captain, do you like Megumi-chan?"

The reaction after that was instantaneous. The giant began to blush and stutter an embarrassed 'no' before saying, "J-just don't get involved with her. She has enough problems as it is." With that, Uozumi headed out with quickened steps. Although he did not look back, Sendoh could tell that his captain's face was still red.

'_Uozumi-sempai... you really like Megumi-chan, don't you...?'_

* * *

"...if you want to defeat Shoyo you can't keep slacking off! Hey, are you even listening to me?"

For all his ranting, Coach Taoka only received a half conscious grunt from the squinty-eyed Sendoh Akira. Taoka's blood had reached its boiling point as he landed a hard blow on the back of the basketball player's head. This was the second time Ryonan's basketball ace had dozed off during practice. The first time, he had been let off with a light warning since he was sleep standing. Then, he fell asleep the second time, while executing a slam-dunk.

"Coach... All I did was blink..." Sendoh moaned as he rubbed the sore spot at the back of his head, yawning in between his sentences.

"You fell asleep on one of your teammates!" the coach bellowed, using a rolled up magazine to release a barrage of attacks on the ace.

Wincing slightly, the second year student maintained his ground, vaguely remembering something to that extent.

Once the punishing blows were dealt, the Coach exhaled his remaining pent up frustrations before dismissing Sendoh and turning his attentions to another slacker.

Uozumi, like the others who had watched their ace's sharp skills deteriorate from exhaustion, shook his head in disappointment. Shooting a wary glance at the coach, Uozumi made sure that his coach's attention was diverted elsewhere. Then, the tall, muscle-bound high school student approached Sendoh who had dozed off yet again.

"Sendoh, keep your mind off Megumi and on the game," he hissed under his breath so only Sendoh could catch it. "I know you think she's cute… but we are here for basketball…. Unless you no longer care for it?"

That woke Sendoh up.

* * *

Megumi's bike clattered against the school's bike rack before she locked it in place. Not wanting to be caught in the hallways, Megumi kept a brisk pace towards the Student Council Room, ignoring malicious glares along the way. Ever since Sendoh's little announcement, her miniscule levels of popularity amongst the female population had taken a steep dive. Though, for some reason unfathomable to her, the fact that she was wanted by one of the most popular students in the school, made her desirable to other men. This whole Sendoh ordeal was just a troublesome obstacle she had to put up with for the week. The only thing she had to do was not fall in love with the basketball player.

How hard could that be?

Finally she arrived at her first class, P.E. Most of the girl's had already changed into their baby blue t-shirts and skimpy black shorts that closely resembled underwear. When she first had to wear those sorts of clothes as a freshman, the brunette had petitioned for longer shorts, only to be ignored. However, three years of wearing those shorts made it normal for her.

So, the much loved and hated President hurriedly stripped off her uniform and slipped into her gym clothes. Since gym classes weren't co-ed, it made enduring exercise slightly easier; except when the occasional delinquents would skip class for a peek.

As usual, the first task of the day was warm up stretches. Then came the dreaded jogging around the school field several times. During those rounds, a group of girls founded a new sport. Shoving, elbowing and tripping Megumi Valentine Kobayashi.

Megumi didn't say anything –even when the falls drew blood. Instead, she'd simply stand, brush herself off and continue on with an unfazed demeanor. There was no point in aggravating those estrogenic fan girls any further. Sadly, what Megumi did not understand about women was the fact that the more she ignored the threatening glares and attempts at hurting her, the more aggravated they became.

_Plip._

Megumi slowed when she felt a single droplet of water land on her skin. Tilting her chin to the overcast sky, she was met by several more drops. When she finally registered that it was starting to drizzle, she couldn't help but wonder:

'_Wasn't it sunny an hour ago?!'_

The P.E teacher, Eimi-sensei, too seemed caught off guard by the sudden change in weather. At first, she was at a loss for what to do, until she heard the rhythmic sounds of sneakers on wooden flooring and thuds of balls. Grinning with pride at her revelation, she proclaimed; "Class, we'll now practice basketball with our school's basketball team!"

Following this announcement were the cheers and cries of joy from the obvious fan girls. From the looks of their ecstatic faces, it was obvious that they were trying their hardest to stop themselves from charging into the gymnasium and fling themselves over their favorite players. Though, there were a few who did not cheer. One of which was Megumi. In a weak, croaky voice she quaked:

"Eimi-sensei, I don't think that's such a good idea... I mean, I don't think Taoka-sensei will allow us to borrow his players when they have a game on Sunday."

This remark earned the brunette several cold stares, but she had long since learnt how to brush it off.

The coach pretended to think about it for a moment before she suggested, "I don't think he'll object too much if it's just this one time. But," she allowed her shoulders to sag as she feigned dejection. "If you really don't want to, we could always do book work in class."

In the end, through a quick and decisive vote, Megumi's plea was considered null and void.

* * *

Just as Eimi-sensei had assured the girls, she secured half of the gym for her students as well as borrow several basketball players who would teach her students the game. Coach Taoka, exhausted from from yelling at his players –mainly Sendoh—caved to her demands rather easily.

"So, my princess wanted to play basketball with me so much that she fought with all those other girls to get what she wanted, am I right?" Sendoh teased as he dribbled around the brunette in question, grinning from ear to ear.

"In your dreams," she answered, continuing to practice her dribbling skills—being one of the few girls who truly couldn't dribble. The other girls were just messing up on purpose in attempts to gain Sendoh's attention. These attempts did work, but not for long since his attention was firmly fixated on Megumi.

"In my dreams, you're already mine," he said, hoping for a romantic effect.

"Then your dreams are sadly mistaken," Megumi retorted as she dribbled the basketball across the court in attempts to get away from the smug basketball player. Sadly, she couldn't. Mainly due to the fact that he was a basketball genius and that she wasn't the best when it came to hand and eye coordination.

_Thunk!_

Megumi's ball bounced off her knee and collided into her chin.

She keeled forward. Pain sparked as she clutched her chin. Curses spewed through her lips as she fisted the ground. Some students who witnessed the sight laughed. Most though, stared in silent horror knowing of Megumi's explosive nature.

Sendoh was one who tried to keep a straight face. Though, the sight of the unmannered Megumi Kobayashi cracked him up. "Pffff—ahaha, princess—ahaha—are you—ahaha—alri—"

With a deafening clap, his back met with the waxed floor. In an act of revenge, Megumi had spun and swiped a leg under his, flinging him off balance.

"Okay... Maybe I deserved that..." Sendoh groaned, as he slowly rolled onto his front to stand. As he did so, the cocky ace was met with uncontrolled laughter from several of his teammates and Megumi. The few sane girls there suppressed their laughter knowing full well what the not-so-sane Sendoh fans would do to them if they did laugh aloud.

Though, the laughter was quick to die away when the students spotted two furious coaches charging in sync towards the two jokers. Even the fearless Student Council President swallowed her laughter and stepped back, as did Sendoh, when the two coaches stopped in front of them. Then, they yelled in unison:

"What are you two doing?!"

Sendoh, as usual, apologized as he received several hits to the head from Coach Taoka.

Megumi, as usual, calmly explained herself as returning a favor. Then, received a proud pat on the back from Coach Eimi.

Taoka, although disagreeing with his fellow teacher's methods, kept silent and continued on with the second half of the class.

"Okay, now we'll have everyone split into four teams of five girls and one boy. The girls will have to rotate so everyone gets a turn. Now, everyone get into your teams!"

Sendoh immediately reverted to his bright, bubbly self as he raised his hand and ed, "I want to be with my future girlfriend!"

"You will be the referee," Uozumi smoothly cut in as he hooked a finger on the back of Sendoh's jersey. With that, he dragged the player away from Megumi who held her fists up in an aggressive stance, ready to beat Sendoh's face in.

Once Sendoh was set aside, Megumi focused her attention on Uozumi who had begun to walk towards a group of girls he planned to team up with. However, he faltered feeling the brunette's hardened stare bore into the back of his head.

Megumi knew that she was a bad at basketball and she knew she needed a good player on her team. She figured that Uozumi, being captain, was that player. Plus, with him around, Sendoh wouldn't annoy her as much. So, in a sickeningly sweet voice she chimed;

"You _will_ be on my team. Won't you, Uozumi-_kun_?"

Although the smile that graced her lips was one of charm, one could easily feel malicious intent behind her mask.

Sweat poured down the sides of the captain's face. There was no other choice. Fearing what she might do to him if he did not agree, he turned a full 180 degrees. There was no 'please' or 'thank you' when the behemoth bent to her will. There was just a smirk as if to say 'I knew you'd see it my way'.

With that, the games began.

* * *

The matches flew by smoothly. Since Sendoh wasn't a player, there wasn't much to worry about. After several passes in their first match, Uozumi quickly learnt that Megumi was a terrible dribbler. But, she above average when it came to scoring and passes. This didn't surprise Sendoh. After all, Megumi was endowed with monstrous strength and an eagle's eye –enough to throw chairs, desks and people across rooms and out windows with precision.

It was nearing the end of the final game when Coach Taoka decided to up the stakes by placing Sendoh on the team against Megumi and Uozumi. That was when the tables were turned.

Now the game was 47 to 50 with Sendoh's team in the lead. Megumi's team was on the offensive. With less than a minute on the clock, the only way that could save them from certain loss was a three pointer shot.

15 seconds: Megumi was stopped a couple feet away the three pointer line by two female defenders while Uozumi was barred by both Sendoh and Koshino.

13 seconds: Swearing under her breath, Megumi dribbled around the two defenders. Thank god they sucked.

10 seconds: At the edge of the three-point line, Megumi leapt into the air, closely followed by her two defenders. Reaching the peak of her jump, she executed a clean shot despite one of the girls' arm collide into her own. Hacking. That would most definitely be considered a foul even though Megumi's monstrous strength knocked down that girl. The ball brushed against the tips of her defender's hesitant fingers.

9 seconds: The fallen defender, one Megumi's haters, slipped a foot under Megumi's feet as she landed.

8 seconds: The ball bounced off the rim as Megumi's back, then head, met the hard ground.

7 seconds: The second defender landed onto the brunette's foot. Following the crash was an agonized scream.

6 seconds: In that moment, time seemed to slow. Sendoh's mind blanked. He couldn't think. His body rushed ahead, shoving past those who were in the way. Then, dropped by her side.

5 seconds: The teachers followed suit.

4 seconds: "Princess! Are you okay?!"

_3 seconds: 'Of course I'm not... Idiot...'_

2 seconds: "Damn it! It's already swelling!"

_1 second: 'Oh damn...'_

0 seconds: Everything faded to black.

* * *

Eventually, the nattering voices slowly melded into the melodious pitter-patter of rain. Though, there was one voice that continued to call out to her. Sometimes it was worried, sometimes it was calm, but it was always by her side.

When Megumi came to, the first thing that greeted her was a throbbing head. Cradling the thing with a hand, she brought her eyes back up to figure out where she was. The nurse's office. The next thing that caught her attention was warmth wrapped about her hand.

'_What…?_'

Turning her gaze to the person beside her, the brunette was surprised to find that it was none other than Sendoh Akira. He was fast asleep on his knees with his head on the edge of her bed, clutching her hand. Although it was a gentle grip that she could easily slip out of, she didn't.

Instead, Megumi tried to shift her body into a more comfortable position, only winced when she felt a sharp pain run up her leg. Glancing down, she noted that her left foot had been firmly wrapped up with white gauze.

Exhaling softly, Megumi scanned her perimeter. There was no one else there and Sendoh's hair was blocking her view of the wall clock. She paused for a second. She'd been left alone with this person when she was completely defenseless. Didn't anyone worry about a possible assault? But then again, the thought didn't perturb her. Despite her first impression of Sendoh Akira, she could tell that he wasn't the type to take advantage of a sleeping girl. The next thought that entered her mind was about the basketball player's hair.

'_How does he get it to stay up like that...?'_

"Looks like you're finally awake," a feminine voice came from the doorway. Startled, Megumi to let out a strangled scream as she withdrew her hand that had begun to reach out for the teenager's spiked hair.

The nurse took no notice of this reaction and continued to speak, "I told the boy that it was only a sprain and a minor concussion, but he insisted on staying till you woke up." Shaking her head, the woman chuckled as she added slyly, "He wouldn't let go of your hand for a second, and so I let him stay. He seemed to be really worried about you."

Immediately, the woman's words cause a shade of scarlet to paint Megumi's cheeks. She shook her head several times in attempt to block out the embarrassment, but the color remained.

A soft groan sounded, snapping Megumi out of her thoughts. Then, she turned her attention back to Sendoh. His eyes were unfocused for a second but they sharpened in the same instant they meet with Megumi's hazel stare.

"Princess! Are you okay?!" he demanded frantically, grasping her hand even tighter.

Megumi tugged her fingers from his hand as she pursed her lips together –an attempt to look irritated. "I'm not that fragile, idiot," she muttered as she adverted her gaze from his to stare at the wall clock. It was already nearing the end of second period.

A lighthearted laugh left Sendoh's lips as he shook his head. Thumping it lightly, he spoke:

"Sorry, princess. When I saw you in pain, I panicked." He forced out a laugh before adding another, "Sorry."

Then, the same, unfamiliar heat rose to her face once again.

"Idiot..."

* * *

"Geez, first they take my bag, then put tacks in my shoes and then fill my locker with hate notes? How childish…" Megumi sighed as she shut her gym locker after emptying it of the threats. Overturning and shaking her shoes several times, a couple dozen tacks fell out before she safely slipped them back onto her feet. She had returned to pick up her school bag that she had left in the girl's locker room but apparently those fan girls had stolen it. Well, there was no point in brooding over this. It'll turn up eventually.

Truth be told, unlike the others who were actually popular amongst their peers and had been voted into their positions, the school had a tradition where the second year student with the highest grades will become the President. Megumi, although second highest, became that person.

The brunette left the locker room with a slight limp in her step. Passing the secluded little garden where she would often relax at, she spotted a plain, school issued book bag floating in the crystal clear waters. Its contents had been roughly emptied into the waters: papers, books, pencils, homework and even her wallet.

She simply let out a sigh and shook her head. The fact that Sendoh carried her to the nurse's office and had stayed with her till she woke must have incurred the wrath of the fan girl goddess.

"What a pain," she muttered as he removed her shoes and socks before hobbling over and into the pond to retrieve her things. Picking up her wallet, it only took her a single glance to know exactly what had been taken and what had been left behind. Her student ID, her number cards and her daily reminders were left untouched. Her money on the other hand, wasn't. At least those girls were smart enough to take it out instead of wasting perfectly good bills.

Fishing everything else out, the brunette waded back to land. Climbing out of the knee high waters, Megumi let out an irritated sigh. Now she had to redo all of her ruined homework and remember what was on the waterlogged Student Council books.

Pushing those thoughts out her mind for now, the Student Council President shook and wiped as much water as she could off her legs before she pulled on her socks and shoes. With an unfazed demeanor, Megumi made her way towards the Student Council Room. The entire time, she made sure to keep her sopping wet bag away from her body to avoid getting wet herself.

She was shocked.

The second Megumi opened the battered door of the 'Hell Hole', it was as if she had stepped into an alternate universe.

The chairs and tables had all been wiped clean from all of their dirt, grime and slime. Even that disgusting brown stain that was on her chair was gone. There was no longer a layer of dust and smeared bug intestines covering the windowpanes. There were no longer any papers, hate notes –directed at Megumi—, random school notices and fliers from years before attached to the walls. Despite the fact that there were several strips of paper still stuck to it, the person who had cleaned the room had done a very good job. Even the floor was no longer blanketed with a variety of papers, food wrappers, cans of soda, pizza boxes and wads of bubble gum. In fact, Megumi couldn't remember the last time she had actually seen the floor.

_'I didn't know it was blue...'_ she thought as she slowly made her way towards her desk, taking in the unbelievable sight of cleanliness all around her. Her pace was slow as she carefully maneuvered around desks and chairs in hopes to avoid knocking over anything. Sadly, her attempts were futile.

Once the Student Council President was seated at her desk, she let a careless hand reach out to grab a sheet of paper. In turn, she knocked over a small vase of flowers that had been placed precariously at the edge of the table. This caused Megumi to swear under her breath as the shattering of glass resounded throughout the room.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, she told herself that it was just water and the floor was tiled, not boarded. Pushing back her chair, she grabbed several tissues from their box. Then, got down on her hands and knees and began to clean. As cautiously as she could manage, the brunette picked up the shards of glass in hopes that she wouldn't cut herself.

Sadly, that too was futile.

An explosion sounded and the ground shuddered. The brunette jolted upright, simultaneously cutting herself on several pieces of glass and slamming her head against the bottom rim of her table. Several more profanities were uttered after that, though the school bell that signaled the start of lunch muted them.

"Eh? Tenma-chan? What are you doing here?"

Daichi Yamamoto.

"God! Stop kicking down the door! It has a handl—"

She paused when she caught something at the corner of her eye. Her gaze slowly shifted left, trailing lower and lower till it landed on the item clutched to his side. It was a magazine. She was silent for a moment as her eyes narrowed on the flimsy publication, her gaze zoning in on the title.

It was a Playboy Magazine.

Before then, Megumi wasn't angry. Not when she sprained her ankle. Not when her things were stolen and tossed into a pond. Not when she cut herself on broken glass and hit her head against a table. Those had pushed her to the edge. This was the tipping factor.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Her voice was unnaturally slow and calm as she began:

"Daichi, come here."  
"Why?" He eyed her suspiciously.  
"Just come here," she repeated in the same, collected tone.  
"No. You're going to hit me—"

Just as the delinquent began to back up, a trashcan struck him square in the chest with deadly accuracy. Daichi reeled backwards. Then, fell. The contents of the rubbish bin spread across the floor bringing back the mess.

Outside the Student Council Room, soft whimpers could be heard along with a nagging tone. Inside, Megumi and Daichi sat on the floor across each other. She had her back to the wall as she winced and gritted her teeth. He was applying disinfectant to her cuts while removing bits of glass from her skin with tweezers.

"Tenma-chan, you're so careless..." he sighed, applying Band-Aids to the cleaned cuts.

"No shit Sherlock," she grumbled under her breath.

Daichi just rolled his shoulders at this comment before he pointed out; "You even sprained your ankle. Geez, take care of yourself." The surprisingly handy high school delinquent let out a sigh as he shut the first-aid kit and kept it back in its inconspicuous little corner. Standing up, he announced, "I'm off to lunch."

Megumi furrowed her brows as her lower lip jutted out in a pout. She knew what he was saying was the truth, but she hated to admit it.

Her frown didn't last very long though. In fact, she became quite startled when Daichi knelt back down and wrapped an arm around her waist. In less than a heartbeat, his free hand tangled in her hazel locks before caressing the side of her face.

It had happened so fast, Megumi didn't see it coming in the least. The only reaction she was allowed in that moment's notice was a tensed body. She tried to back up, break away from his touch, but her back was greeted by the wall. There was no escape. No words escaped her lips other than an inaudible squeak as her gaze was captured by two mesmerizing pools of blue. There was only a hair widths space between the two when Daichi paused. Parting his lips, he whispered:

"Stop being so cute... or else I won't be able to stop myself..."

* * *

_**Meanwhile...**_

It all happened the second the lunch bell rang.

"Sendoh-kun!"

This was the ecstatic cry of Kimiyou Satou, one of the basketball star's biggest supporters, as she wrapped her arms around his, ignoring the aggravated looks from the other girls as she pressed her body against the ace's arm. Unlike Megumi, Kimiyou was untouchable. The other girls did not dare harm a hair on her head due to her popularity amongst the male body –which was how she had been voted in as the Student Council's Treasurer.

"Oh, good morning Kimiyou-chan," Sendoh greeted his fan with a startled smile. The two had been classmates since the start of the year. It was due to her 'friendly' behavior, they were already on a first name basis –something that added to Kimiyou's hate factor.

Though, what made Megumi despised the most amongst Sendoh's fans was because he was after her, not Kimiyou.

"Sendoh-kun," Kimiyou cooed, letting the name roll across her tongue before she continued in her phony baby voice, "Do you have any plans for Monday? There's this medieval festival going on and I was wondering if you wanted to come."

Sendoh paused for a moment, recalling the fact that Monday was a holiday and there had been much talk about a festival of some sort being held around that time. The thought of the whole thing being medieval caused the high school student to raise an eyebrow. The idea of celebrating the Western culture was a little strange to him, but he supposed this was a way of 'embracing' another culture.

Although the basketball player wished to turn down her offer, the words that escaped his lips were much different.

"I'll have to check with my coach if I can." He then added that he would love to go if he could. But just as the excitement in the girl's eyes shone through, the basketball ace of Ryonan continued, "Kimiyou-chan, do you think that Megumi-chan is in the Student Council Room?"

The girl's smile faltered before being plastered back on. "I guess so," she answered slowly, losing her previous vigor.

Letting his face light up with another one of his oblivious smiles, the student thanked his disappointed fan girl and left the class, taking the two lunches he had prepared earlier that day with him.

* * *

When Sendoh arrived at his destination, he was just about to knock before he overhead two voices. He even caught snippets of conversation between two students by the names of Tenma-chan and Sherlock. Although he knew he was intruding on someone else's private matters, curiosity overcame his better judgment. After all, the conversation had added some spice when the one by the name of Sherlock said:

"Stop being so cute... or else I won't be able to stop myself."

Finally, the curiosity was too much for Sendoh to bear and he nudged the door open by a crack to allow himself a peep.

What he saw next caused his jaw to drop.

The room he had spent all morning to clean was in a mess!

Not only that, the one called Sherlock, was actually Daichi Yamamoto –a classmate of his that was always truant. The only reason that guy was voted to become the secretary was because some people thought it would make a good laugh. Sendoh had been amongst those people.

Not to mention, Tenma-chan, was actually _his _Megumi-chan.

But, that wasn't the entire reason why the normally calm and collected Sendoh Akira was in shock. Daichi was kissing Megumi.

At least, that was what Sendoh could make out from his angle. His grip tightened as anger began to cloud his mind. His teeth were clenched tight and his calm gaze hardened into an intense anger. It took all he could to stop himself from barging in and beating the living daylights out of Daichi.

Just as the uncharacteristically angry Sendoh's thoughts bordered on murderous, he stopped himself when he heard Daichi's cocky voice:

"Just joking!"

Immediately, Sendoh snapped back into reality and watched as the stunned look that was on Megumi's face, slowly turn into one of absolute rage. Walking to the door, Daichi laughed, "I mean, how could I possibly lose control because of an old lady?"

Pause.  
Breathe.  
Explode.

"You... Evil perverted little son of a—Who do you think you are?! I'm only a year older than you!" Megumi screeched as she grabbed the closest object she could find and chucked it. It was a chair. A heavy, metal chair.

Luckily, Daichi anticipated this and dodged, saving him the loss of several dozen IQ points and a concussion.

Sendoh could only wince as he listened to the loud clatter of the chair as it bounced off a wall and shattered several lamps and other breakables. Now he understood where most of the destruction was born.

Daichi just laughed as he bolted out the door before Megumi could grab anything else –for say, a knife. Just as he shut the door behind him, another projectile impacted, shattering into hundreds of pieces.

That was when their eyes met. The two boys were now at a face off. Although Sendoh was sure that Daichi had not spotted him before, Daichi was unfazed by his presence. He even smirked at the basketball player's stunned expression. There was only silence and Sendoh's uncontrollable urge to punch Daichi in the face.

"Don't worry. Her virgin lips are untouched," Daichi spoke in a low whisper, breaking the silence. Without waiting for a response from his confused classmate, he continued, "she started to cry. So..." he paused for a moment as he let Sendoh digest this bit of information. Proudly, he piped up, "We're the same. We both want her because she's not an easy catch. It's just a game for us. But unlike you, I actually stand a chance."

There was a short pause, a slow breath and a decisive punch.

* * *

Sendoh stood alone in the hallway, glaring at the floor. His knuckles stung, but he ignored it and began to mull over his situation. Why had he lost control when Daichi said what he said? After all, it wasn't all wrong. Was it because he'd been seen through?

After all, Sendoh knew full well that he didn't like Megumi. This whole fiasco began because he wanted to get back at her. No more, no less. He did not have feelings for her, yet why did his actions contradict that?

Thumping the back of his head against the wall, Sendoh reminded himself:

"I do _not_ like her."

After all, what was there to like about her? She was as obnoxious as Hanamichi Sakuragi and her pride rivaled that of Kaede Rukawa's. She was stubborn, snide, rude and relied on her brute strength to get things done.

Frowning, Sendoh shook his head with a sigh of defeat. Sure, she had her bad qualities, but she did have some redeeming ones. Her clumsiness was quite cute and despite her rampages, she knew when to be mature. She was tough as nails and didn't seem like the type to leave a friend no matter what the circumstances were. She never compromised herself to suit other's views and carried out her duties as the Student Council.

Running a hand through his hair, Sendoh shook his head in irritation. Swatting his cheeks as if to wake himself up, the basketball ace muttered under his breath, "he's just trying to get into my head..." Shaking his head Sendoh firmly told himself, "I'm not gonna think about it anymore!"

He still did.

"That damn brat..." Megumi growled as she dragged a hand through her hair in a frustrated fashion. How could she have let her guard down and let something like that happen? It was humiliating!

When she replayed the scene in her head, her face turned a bright pink when she recalled how close they had been to kissing. Daichi, who had cupped her chin with one hand, had stopped only millimeters away from her face when she started to cry. She didn't understand why, but the tears began to flow. Sure she was scared, but there was a different sort of feeling that caused her distress.

Sadly, she didn't have much time to ponder on this when Sendoh barged into the room, smiles and all.

"Princess! I brought you some lunch! I made it myself!"

"I'm not hungry," she responded swiftly. Though, her stomach disagreed instantly with a loud rumble. The brunette's face to glowed in embarrassment as she averted her gaze. "Not hungry!"

"Ne, princess is such a cute tsundere!" Sendoh laughed in attempts to push aside the discomfort he felt when their eyes met. It wasn't obvious, but he could tell that she had cried from the slight redness in her eyes. When he glanced at the Band-Aids wrapped about her fingers, he was unnerved. For some reason, her injuries bothered him more than they normally would.

Her blush only deepened as she snapped at him, "I am not bipolar!"

Sendoh only flashed the girl one of his good natured smiles as he set the two lunches on the table. That was when infamous 'Playboy' Magazine was spotted.

"Eh? I didn't know princess is into this sort of stuff!"  
"I'm not! It's not mine! It's—"  
"I was just kidding, princess."

Sendoh chuckled, only to stop himself when he noticed the bandages around her ankle had loosened.

"How did this happen?" he asked, eyes widening in confused surprise.

"It got wet," she replied calmly as she then mumbled a soft 'itadakimasu' under her breath and began to eat. It was all she could to keep herself from swallowing the entire lunch box. After all, she hadn't had something that delicious in ages.

Sendoh was silent for a moment before he asked, "How?"

"I felt like dipping my feet in the pond," she lied smoothly between mouthfuls.

Sendoh sensed a lie, but said nothing. He figured that it wasn't his place to say anything. Whatever was going on wasn't his problem. Instead, he sighed and shook his head. "You're so thoughtless."

As he did so, he knelt down and began to unravel the bandages that draped around Megumi's ankle despite her protests. "Don't worry. I've dealt with these sorts of injuries before," he mumbled, focused on the task at hand.

"It's tight," she complained as he continued to wrap the cloth around her ankle.

"It's supposed to be," Sendoh answered flatly as he finished. Now that he was close to her, he noticed several more scrapes and bruises across her legs and arms –probably from multiple falls.

"You should take care of yourself more," Sendoh whispered, averting his gaze from the flesh wounds.

"What was that?"  
"Nothing, princess."  
"Don't call me that."  
"As you wish, princess."  
"Oh, shut up."

* * *

**A/N:** Edited 14th November 2011 and 18th June 2013

*Tenma may be written with the characters for "heavens; sky; imperial" (ten) and "true; reality" (ma) or 'demon; evil spirit'.

**Tsundere=a person who is initially cold and even hostile towards another person before gradually showing their warm side over time.

Please review~!


	6. Chapter 6: Violence

_Ryonan High School, Kanagawa Prefecture: Friday, February 10th__

Heavy droplets of rain drummed against the slate grey, concrete pavement in a repetitive fashion. The unfortunate souls that happened to be out and about without proper protection were, by now, drenched by the sudden downpour. Flickers of light cut across the heavens, closely followed by the muted roar of thunder in the distance. Winds howled and whistled as they rolled past, bending trees to their will. Calling the weather 'bad' was an understatement. Terrible fit the bill better.

None were thrilled with this predicament; especially not Megumi whose head rested on her desk as a show of mental exhaustion. Releasing a sigh, the brunette continued to stare out at the overcast sky as water pelted against the glass window. With the sky being virtually cloudless that morning, the thought of bringing an umbrella to school had not crossed her mind.

Umbrellas are handy contraptions. They allow protection from the natural elements, such as that of the sun and the rain…

"Princess!"

…As well as unwanted guests.

Megumi shut her eyes and pretended as if the voice was but a figment of her imagination –an apparition that would simply disappear if she believed hard enough. Like an ostrich sticking its head in the ground, she buried her face in the folds of her arms. Hopefully, if she could not see it, it could not see her.

"Princess!" the voice called out yet again.

No such luck.

It was the last period of the day. Homeroom. With the teacher out of commission due to a bad case of the flu, it would be considered either nap or talk time. Could that irritating creature not see that she wanted to enjoy her time for rest and relaxation in silence? Did he not have his own classes to attend? Why the hell was he in the third year hall anyway?

Turning her head to face the window once more, Megumi attempted to block out the annoying voice that continued to call out for her attention from the hallway. _'He'll get in trouble with his teacher...'_ The brunette's thoughts trailed off as she quickly added, _'not that I care.'_

Since the girl was unresponsive to his calls, Sendoh decided that he had permission to waltz into the third year classroom and flirt with Megumi, seeing as how no one told him otherwise.

After greeting his captain who sat at the other end of the classroom, Sendoh turned his full attention to Megumi whose attempts at tuning him out had been futile.

"Is this seat empty?" he asked with a smile, gesturing to the seat beside hers.

"Don't make me hit you," she responded, head still at rest on the table.

Although a humored laugh escaped his lips, he was uncertain if it were a mere jest or if she was actually serious. To be safe, he chose to stand. Taking another shot at flirting with Megumi, Sendoh spoke, "So anyway, you're cute. Wanna go out with me?"

"Hell no."

Megumi's instantaneous response caused yet another laugh from Ryonan's ace; although this one sounded rather pained. Maybe it was because he felt that she had just taken a jab at his pride with a fork. With his lips forced into a half smile, Sendoh asked, "Eh, princess, why are you so cruel to me?" Not that it bothered him too much. If she were as sickeningly sweet to him like all the other girls, he never would have found the slightest interest in her. Though, it wouldn't hurt if she'd show him some common courtesy.

This question seemed to pique her interest. "Why, you ask?" She had many reasons to be cruel to him. He is horribly persistent, irresponsible, carefree and irritating. He is constant flirting/harassing her. He embarrassed her over the P.A system. He, unwittingly, made her the target of attacks from jealous fan girls.

"Because you are a womanizing idiot and your arrogant stupidity irritates me."

Her bluntness caused several eavesdroppers to purse their lips in attempt to stifle their laughter. Some weren't as kind. A couple boys nudged each other in the sides jokingly as they laughed. Being stuck in the same class as Megumi has given them much knowledge on how she dealt with things she didn't like; e.g. Sendoh. Plus, it was refreshing to see a girl not infatuated with Sendoh.

The teenager in question simply laughed along, seeing as how that was the only thing he could do at present. He wasn't that much of a womanizer was he? Sendoh hadn't even realized that was his label till then.

He stopped however, when he spotted several more cuts as well as bruises on the girl's face and hands. Sendoh opened his mouth to ask, but was stopped by the bell, signaling the end of the day.

Megumi, who'd rather not hang around the annoyance for a moment longer, had begun to pack away her water stained books. Only, she paused when she noticed that Sendoh had stopped speaking. Tilting her head to the side, she noticed that his gaze was no longer fixated on her but outside. No longer was he smiling. Instead, his features had hardened in an unreadable emotion. The serious appearance on the normally carefree guy was unnerving –even for the intrepid Megumi.

"What?" she demanded, trying to mask the confused worry with aggravation.

That snapped Sendoh out of his silent state. His smile returned. "Sorry for ignoring you, princess. I promise it won't happen again," he spoke in his flirtatious tone as that child-like smile graced his face.

"I was not—"

"Please excuse me for one moment, princess," he muttered, cutting off the flustered brunette with a mischievous wink. With that, he stood and exited the class. His steps were evenly paced, calm and graceful. It was rather surprising, due to his tall, muscular physique.

Megumi grimaced, realizing that she had been staring after him as he left the room like some sort of love struck fan girl. The brunette reprimanded herself as she shook her head and snapped her bag shut. Still, she was curious. What could he have possibly seen to make him, who stuck to her like cement, leave her side? She glanced over her shoulder, out the window and through the haze of pouring rain. What she saw caused her brows to knit together as her chewed on her lower lip in contempt.

'_So that's why... Great,'_ she thought to herself with a sigh as she shut her book bag. Pushing her chair back into its rightful position under her desk, Megumi exited the room. She ran an irritated hand through her tangled locks and tugged at several strands to hide the small smile of gratitude that graced her lips. In attempt to return to her natural, irritable self, she mumbled, "Getting upset about something like that... idiot."

* * *

"I hate her!"  
"That bitch!"  
"How dare she keep Sendoh-sama all to herself?"  
"Yeah! She deserves to be punished!"

A group of four girls, rabid fans of Sendoh Akira, laughed in unison as they used switchblades to slash at the tires of a muddied bicycle. It wasn't too difficult for them to slip those encased blades into their pockets for the whole day. It's not like the school had full body checks. Each one of the girls wore plastic ponchos to shield themselves from the rain. However, rendered unnecessary at the moment for they stood under a metal shed that protected the bicycles from the weather. The only con of the entire situation was the fact that they were in plain sight of other students. Though, it wasn't as if anyone in this school was a tattletale. Also, most of the teachers weren't too keen on getting involved with their students' affairs.

"Join us Kimiyou-sempai! After all, this was your idea," a first year exclaimed with a grin as she held out her knife for her senior.

Kimiyou simply smiled as she shook her head, allowing her red and gold highlighted pigtails to bounce from side to side. Most girls her age preferred the more 'mature' look, but Kimiyou would rather be seen as the cute second year student. That way, she could get away with her wrong doings easier. "No, I'd rather let you girls have all the fun," she simply stated as she feigned sweetness. Truth of the matter was, she just didn't want any materialistic evidence that tied her to the other girls. It wasn't her style to get her hands dirty. Manipulation was what she enjoyed best.

Although it was a risk for her to be out in the open, she wanted to witness the desecration of Megumi's bike. Although they may be in the Student Council together and hold no ill feelings towards each other, Kimiyou wanted Sendoh. But because he was attracted to Megumi, the only way the secretary of the Student Council could have the most charismatic man in school was to drive Megumi Valentine out. It was cruel, but she saw it as Megumi's fault for attracting his attention. This was, after all, the game of life and love.

Kimiyou may act like a sweet, airheaded ditz, but she was in fact, a sly minx who knew what she wanted and would stop at nothing for its obtainment. Still, it was due to her lack of proper training in the field of stratagem that she had forgotten to calculate a possible variable. That a certain school idol might just happen to be in Megumi Valentine's classroom, glance outside the window and witness her misdeeds.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The girls immediately froze, sensing anger bubbling in the voice. There was a clear and present danger behind them and knew it. Plus, they recognized the voice. It was from the man they idolized like a god, Sendoh Akira.

Although his features were calm and composed, his eyes were ice. A shudder ran down their spines as if his words were daggers pressed to their throats. The calmness that emanated from his being scarcely covered the fury that his form withheld. His clenched fists strained and trembled in an effort to hold back the desire to hand those girls their dues in a way that was unfit of a gentleman.

Immediately, the girls hid their faces in shame. Quick on their feet, they turned tail and ran. However, there was one that remained. Kimiyou Satou.

"Explain, please," Sendoh slowly added as his fan turned to face him.

She was stunned. Even forcing her lips to quiver was a task. That was, until she saw Megumi making her way towards them with slow and even steps.

The fact that Megumi was absolutely unfazed and somewhat amused at the situation's outcome caused Kimiyou to rear her head back in shock. The secretary of the student council had thought that the president would at least show some form of mortification at the mutilation of her bike. There was none. There was no trace of distress on her composed features when she reached the two.

Kimiyou recognized that look –the calm, uncaring face that Megumi would put on to discourage those who hurt her. Kimiyou had seen the older use that face only on girls that she deemed to be of a lower standard. Now, Megumi was using it on her.

Kimiyou's eyes widened in disgust. How _dare_ Megumi treat her like this?

"Kimiyou..." Megumi was about to ask what the meaning behind the girl's actions, only to be cut off by a slap.

Both Sendoh and Megumi were left in a silent daze. Only, Megumi was quicker to snap out of her state when Kimiyou started to scream.

"Don't use that patronizing tone on me!" Kimiyou spat bitterly as several vulgar profanities escaped her lips. "Don't you dare look down on me like you're any better! Just because you're the Student Council President doesn't mean that I respect you! No one does!"

"That's enough!" Sendoh growled, struggling to keep his anger at bay.

The girl ignored him and continued to glare at Megumi. "No matter what you do Megumi, you can't hide the fact that you're an unwanted bastard!" she screeched at the top of her lungs.

There was a pregnant pause. A clap of thunder. The patter of rain.

Finally, Megumi spoke; her words pronounced with upmost clarity, "Are you done making a fool of yourself?"

Kimiyou's eyes flared. A second slap was to be delivered, but this time, Sendoh caught the slender wrist and yanked the girl back several paces. "That's enough Kimiyou," he thundered. His lips were set in a firm line and his sea blue eyes flashed with danger, causing the girl to freeze. Although he did not understand what was going on, he had decided to be on Megumi's side this time.

Kimiyou's body began to tremble as tears fell freely from her cheeks. "Why? Why do you side with her? She doesn't even _like_ you and yet you care so much for her." Turning her full attention to Sendoh, she clung to his shirt and began to plead with him, "I can make you happy! I can make you so much happier than she ever could! Loving her will only bring you pain!"

Taking hold of the girl's hands, Sendoh removed her fingers from his uniform. His answer was resolute and his eyes showed no signs of wavering when he told her, "If she were to lead me to hell, so be it." With that, he released her.

To fill the silence that followed after, Megumi spoke, "Kimiyou, leave."

Eyes brimming with tears, the girl shot the other a deathly glare as she spat, "I hate you." Then, she was gone.

Once Kimiyou was out of sight, Megumi released a sigh, allowing her shoulders to sag and her true emotions to show. There was a sort of sadness hidden behind her hazel eyes. Her forehead creased with distress. Nevertheless, she shook off the emotions. Irritated, she brushed her fingers against her cheek only to pull away when the stinging pain was aggravated.

"Are you okay?" Sendoh asked worriedly as he leaned forward to inspect the girl's face.

"I'm fine." She waved off his help. "Just tired."

A frown appeared on Sendoh's face as he began to mutter under his breath. "Just wait till the headmaster hears about this... Those girls are going to be exp-"

"I am not pressing charges," Megumi cut him off with a calm voice as she made her way to the ravaged bicycle.

He was shocked. "Why not?" he demanded, angered by her words. "They should pay for what they did!"

This caused her to shake her head and turn to face him. Advancing towards him, she pressed her index finger against his chest. "Now who do you think is the cause of their actions?"

Sendoh paused just as he opened his mouth to protest. He knew that he was the center of the girl's misfortune. So in a way, all this was his fault. "But... you're not even angry," he stated, feeling dumb.

Megumi's laugh was soft as she shook her head. "Your anger is enough for both of us." That was a lie. It was because she couldn't possibly feel any sort of antagonism at the moment. This was the first time anyone had ever stood up for her in such a way and she was grateful for it –not that she would ever admit it. Instead, she pressed a finger against the creases on his forehead and probed, "Now smile like you always do, idiot."

This caused him to pause. She was right. Taking in a deep breath, Sendoh erased his thoughts on vengeance and forced a smile. "Yeah…" If Megumi could act so level headed, there was no point in being the only one upset. "I guess you're right," he chuckled softly. Shooting a side glace at the disfigured remains of the girl's bicycle, his vision returned to the girl and he noted the frown that had appeared on her lips as she nudged the heap of metal with her foot. There was no way she could get home on that. Sendoh would have offered his bike, if he had brought it. But, there was opportunity to be had from this mess.

"Why don't I take you home?" he suggested.

Megumi's lips turned into a frown as she began to mull over the offer as if it were life or death situation. Finally, she allowed a sigh to escape her lips as a show that she had given up. "Fine, I guess I should allow you the honor for helping me."

He merely laughed at her words before nodding in accent. "The honor is all mine, princess."

A blush the shade of scarlet crossed the brunette's features as she scowled at him. "I told you to stop calling me that," she muttered. Though, she knew full well that he would not stop.

Sendoh, if he were to think back to this moment, would consider this the start of his true attraction to Megumi V. Kobayashi.

* * *

After borrowing an umbrella from Hikoichi, Sendoh and Megumi squeezed under the small, lemon yellow contraption as they made their way down the slippery sidewalks. Sendoh didn't mind the close quarters at all. In fact, it gave him an excuse to occasionally brush against the girl's soft tresses and take in her intriguing scent. Though, every time he did so, he was somewhat disheartened for she made no response to his advances. She would even ignore him all together as if he were a bother.

Megumi, unlike the tall teen, was not the happiest of campers. She had never stood so close to one of the opposite gender for excessive periods of time on neutral terms—usually she would be too busy reprimanding to notice the lack of distance. She disliked how her mind would often trail off in mid thought every time he accidentally touched her hair. She needed to avoid his gaze or else she may lose her mind to a blank field of lunacy. When he would take in a deep breath, she worried if she might smell funny. Her whole body was tense and she felt the occasional wave of dizziness. It was as if a cage of overexcited butterflies, high on nectar, had been released in her stomach. The flurry of emotions that occurred every time his image invaded her mind left her confused and frustrated. His occasional words meant as flattery were no help for her state of mind.

It was whilst their journey that the curiosity which had built up throughout the short term of silence overcame Sendoh. "So, why didn't you fight back? Or get mad?" he asked inquisitively as he escorted the girl down the dampened streets. His voice was slightly louder than usual for the continuous hiss of raindrops against the pavement was a low roar with occasional thunderclaps in the distance.

The girl did not pause to think as she responded plainly, "Fighting is mind over matter. I don't mind and they don't matter."

"You can't be serious."

"I am," she put plainly before adding, "you're dripping on me."

A soft apology was uttered as the teenager titled the small yellow umbrella towards her in order to keep her dry. Even if she were as fine as she claimed to be, he was still a little worried about the matter at hand. "What about Kimiyou?" he asked.

This caused Megumi to exhale softly as the earlier frown returned to her lips. "That is a problem..." She shook her head in annoyance. "I can't have her disrupt Student Council activities..."

To this, Sendoh sighed and shook his head. Hidden under his breath, he whispered, "You're impossible."

"What was that?" Megumi raised an accusing glance as he quickly waved off his words.

In a feeble attempt to change the subject, he inquired, "Does your foot hurt?"

"It's bearable," She shrugged.

He knew it wasn't as bearable as she let on. So, grinning mischievously, he offered, "Why don't you get on my back and I carry yo—"

"Try that and you'll be walking funny for the next month," Megumi threatened with one of her infamous glares.

After that, Sendoh strides weren't as far apart as before.

As the moment continued on in silence, Megumi's seed of confusion that had been planted since the beginning of their journey grew. She too was curious and perplexed by Sendoh's nonchalant attitude about a similar matter. "You're not going to ask about the 'bastard' statement?" she finally demanded.

His lips curled into a soft smile as he shook his head. "I don't want to hear your story from someone who isn't you. I'll know when you're ready to tell me." His voice trailed off for a moment in hesitation before continuing in an honest tone, "Though I don't think it matters. You're still my princess."

She was stunned by the answer. In her past, there were few who sincerely left it at that. Most would cease their associations with her by cutting off all connections. Some would even hassle her because of it. Still, she found herself returning his smile with the only expression of gratitude she had at hand. "Idiot."

Sendoh could not help but laugh at the expected response. "As long as I'm your idiot, princess."

To this, Megumi shook her head as if to say that she had not heard that statement. She was far too exhausted from the day's happenings to even bother with a correction.

With a soft chuckle, the ace player of Ryonan continued to speak, "well aren't you glad you're all nice and dry—?"

A cyclist –who Megumi could have sworn was asleep—flew by at break neck speeds downhill. To avoid the cyclist, the two teens leapt back in surprise. If the biker did not slow down soon, he was sure to crash into something further down the way. Megumi would have called out to the man on the bike if not for the wall of icy rainwater that drenched the two teenagers from head to toe.

Stunned silence ensued as the two simply stood rooted to their spots, blinking water from their eyes. Slowly, they turned their heads to face each other. Mirrored looks of frozen features, hanging mouths and widened eyes greeted them. A chorus of uncontrollable laughter followed soon after.

"Pff—ahaha—Nice and dry, huh—? Ahaha—" Megumi choked out between fits of laughter as she clutched her aching sides.

Sendoh tried to take offense, but his features broke into a bright and cheery grin. After all, this was the first time he had actually heard her laugh. That light, child-like laugh that seemed to shave years off her being was one he wouldn't mind listening to every day. It was a nice change, seeing the kinder, softer side of the naturally harsh, Megumi Valentine. "Hey, it's the thought that counts," and with a well timed smile he added, "we may be wet on the outside, but being with you makes me feel nice and warm on the inside."

Megumi laughed at his words. Though this time, it was more of a 'that-was-so-cheesy-you-idiot' kind of laugh. She would not admit that that was how she felt as well.

* * *

By the time the two reached Megumi's front porch, they were both soaked from head to toe. Their clothes clung to their skin like plastic wrap, forming puddles of water under their feet. The girl's hazelnut hair, once neat and proper with only a faint hint of waves, protruded from her head in random directions like a bush. Her socks, now misshapen from soaking up too much water, squeaked with every step while an oversized, navy blue vest with the number 7 scrawled on the back was all that covered her now translucent white buttoned down shirt.

Sendoh was in no different of a condition. His once spiked hair now sagged forward much to his dismay and Megumi's mirth. No amount of hair gel or spray could possibly withstand the cruelties of rain. The only difference was, he wore nothing over his completely see through shirt. Obviously, this revealed the much sought after six-pack that fan girls would kill for a mere peek.

Although shivering from the cold, Megumi wasn't one to forget her manners. Forcing the soft chatter of her teeth to come to a halt, she uttered a word of thanks that sounded more of a grunt than anything else. She forced her gaze away from his face and stared at the floor due. Still, her eyes would often trail up to gawk at his body –a fact that she was not proud of. She needed to get away from him and lock herself in her room before she lost any more self-control.

In response to her obvious discomfort, a cheeky smile found its way onto Sendoh's lips. Seeing as this was his only chance, he was quick to press his lips against the smooth space on her forehead. He held his ground for just a second, then, pulled away in order to avoid any sort of assault. With an unfaltering grin, he spoke to the stunned girl in a warm, welcoming tone, "The team's having a match against Shoyo this Sunday. You should come."

Megumi, still relatively dumbfounded, only turned away from Sendoh. Unlocking her front door, the word 'maybe' was all that could escape her lips without further loss of composure.

Perhaps it was because Megumi had not punched nor cussed in his face that fueled him further. He leant forward, as if he expected a kiss in return. His lips parted, and in a low, seductive voice, he whispered, "Please say those three words that will make my day."

With a sweet and courteous smile, Megumi stepped towards him. Rocking forward on the balls of her feet, she brought her lips close to his ear. Then, she whispered, "go to hell." With that, she headed inside. Shutting the door behind her, the sight of his Cheshire grin was hidden.

Inside, Megumi was rather surprised to find that she wasn't shivering any more.

* * *

Passing the golden-framed mirror that was situated directly across from the doorway, Megumi was surprised to be greeted by the bright smile of a girl with unruly hair and rosy red cheeks. Normally the bravado the girl had in her eyes would have dulled and faded away the second she stepped through her front door. However, this time was different. The flame she held during the school hours had remained untouched. In fact, the invisible aura that surrounded her gave off a soft glow that shone through the drenched clothes and windswept hair that closely resembled a bird's nest after a hurricane.

Nevertheless, the smile was as quick to die from her face as a baby bird shot out from the sky.

Forcing down the bile that had risen to her throat, Megumi controlled her disgust as she waded through a field of crushed cans of Carlsberg. It was as if a child had thrown a nasty tantrum and had decided to overturn as well as defile the entire house. The floor was stained with an unknown brown substance while the air was of cigarette smoke and more alcohol. She merely wondered how the once clean and spotless living room now resembled the Student Council Room after a game of indoor soccer between Daichi and Kenji –minus the alcohol and cigars. Nonetheless, she need not pause to wonder who the cause of the mess was. The answer was an inebriated, semi-conscious man sprawled across the living room couch with a bottle of beer in one hand. His dirt blonde hair was in an unruly mess while his stormy grey eyes were half open and glazed over.

Wishing that she could take a deep breath of clean air to release the aggravation, Megumi forced on keeping her calm and composed demeanor. "Father, I think you've had enough for today." She reached out to pry the beer bottle from his clenched fist only to be met in the face with a cold spatter of foul smelling alcohol. Startled, she reared her head back in shock, coughing out the burning bitter liquid that had entered her mouth. The putrid taste was enough to cause the vomit that she had forced back to escape her lips.

Weakly, she pleaded with him, "father, please calm down before you do something foolish." Her gaze slowly left the ugly, brownish green stain on the ground to meet with her father's glazed over stare that hung over her. It was then when she realized he must have drunk himself to the point where he understood little to nothing about what was occurring. To her horror, nothing could be done on her part but run and hide.

Her father was a violent drunk.

Another slap was delivered to her face for the second time that day, though much harder than the first. Megumi stumbled back into the coffee table. Stunned and lightheaded, the girl fell backwards, his fingers missing her tangled locks by millimeters. There was a sharp cry when she landed on several broken shards of glass. Red stained Sendoh's jacket. But, neither pain nor blood stopped her from getting back on her feet. Faster now, she bolted for the door as several profanities were screamed after her. Although slurred and jumbled, she could make out what was said. She was an ungrateful bastard that should have never been born.

Glancing back as she yanked open the front door, Megumi watched as her father turned the corner, swaying with each step he took. In one hand, he held a bottle, raised over his head. She knew she had to get out of there.

Rushing out the door, Megumi slammed it behind her. Seconds later, the sound of glass shattering could be heard and the shudder of the wooden door against her back could be felt.

The once strong and resilient Megumi Kobayashi was now reduced to a thin, trembling high school girl in an oversized sports jacket. Her eyes stung. Fighting the onslaught of tears that threatened to break free, Megumi stumbled into the rain before her bare feet came to a stop on the drenched sidewalk of her house. Her body trembled from the bite of the bitter rain. The pain that seemed to pulsate from her open wounds had begun to numb from the cold. Her ears did not need to strain in order to pick up the loud cussing from inside the house. In fact, she pressed the palms of her hands against them to block out the words that replayed in her head.

Megumi debated if she should return once her father had quieted down, or passed out, or if she should head to a friend's place to spend the night. Throwing a glance back to the place from which she had escaped, she would have been far better off anywhere else. This was not the first time this happened. She understood that even if she returned, that man could hardly be considered happy in the least. After all, she was a reminder of his mistake.

She paused to laugh about her predicament.

Ichiro and Kenji both lived a thirty-minute drive away while Daichi was most probably in Tokyo with some gang mates. Kimiyou was out of the question.

Her laughter continued to the point that tears began to mingle with the rain and her legs could no longer support her.

She had no home.

* * *

A content sigh escaped Sendoh's lips as warm water rolled down his back, washing away all the day's stresses, soapsuds and filth from his body. Lathering his hair with shampoo that smelled of exotic berries, he removed bits of dirt that had somehow stuck in between the roots. Dealing with obsessive fans, being drenched by frigid rainwater, walking a mile uphill to the train station and a lot more walking after wasn't what he'd call a relaxing day. After all that's happened, he needed a nice hot bath. Still, there was one redeeming quality that the day had presented.

He had kissed Megumi.

It was not a passionate, hot and steamy kiss that involved the use of tongue as seen in romantic comedies. It was a simple peck on the forehead. Still, the fact that she hadn't pulled away in disgust must have meant something, right? After much deliberation, Sendoh shook the images from his head. He couldn't afford to fill his mind with such thoughts right now. He had already made a silent promise to himself that he would take the time he had to train before the match with Shoyo. That's why he was here, requesting the help from another avid lover of the sport.

Turning off the tap, Sendoh stepped out of the shower and grabbed two feather white towels off a rack. One draped lazily around his hips while the other ran through his hair in several swift motions before it rested over a shoulder. As he unlocked the bathroom door to step out, tufts of steam followed. At the moment, his only change of clothes was thrown in the drier so the best he could do at the moment was impose on his host.

"Here," mumbled an unfeeling voice as a clumsily folded stack of clothes was shoved into Sendoh's arms. This caused a smile to light up his features. Although it was not much of a surprise, he found it amusing that this other ace was not the best at household chores either. Graciously accepting the pair of jeans and plain black shirt, Sendoh bowed his head. "Thanks, Rukawa-kun."

The host, Kaede Rukawa, merely rolled his shoulders in his couldn't-care-less fashion before returning his attention to a bowl of chips that lay on top of his study desk. This action caused the ace to chuckle softly. It was not one of his courteous laughs, but one of amusement. Why? Mainly because he knew the action was done to hide the large bruise that had begun to form on Kaede's forehead. When asked, the emotionless robot had brushed it off with a statement that it was nothing –but Sendoh was sure the cause was one of Kaede's infamous bicycle crashes.

"Well, thanks for having me over to train," Sendoh said with a smile as he proceeded to change into the clothes that had been handed to him. They were both guys so there was little awkwardness there.

Kaede simply grunted as he kicked his legs up onto the graphite and ink stained table, feet brushing against a mug of what had once been hot chocolate made several days prior. Without a care in the world, he resumed the use of the flimsy basketball magazines that were precariously stacked to his right.

After slipping on the pair of jeans, Sendoh decided to ask a question, figuring that trying for a helpful answer couldn't hurt. "Hey, Rukawa?" When the only response was a gruff grunt, he continued. "There's this friend who is having troubles with another friend since they like the same girl but-"

"I'm not cupid." Kaede cut in smoothly, his voice hinting on slight annoyance as he added his famous 'd'aho' at the end. If the subject at hand wasn't about basketball or closely related to it, all interest was out the door.

A short, broken laugh escaped Sendoh's lips, as if he to say that he shouldn't have asked. Only, he paused when Kaede finally added to the sentence after some thought, "It's like basketball." As Kaede spoke, a careless hand reached into the bowl only to come up clean.

Once those words were spoken, Kaede stood, picked up the empty bowl of chips and exited the room, leaving Sendoh in a state of confusion.

"Like basketball...?"

Furrowing his brows, Sendoh thought hard but nothing came.

* * *

"D'aho," Kaede clicked his tongue against his teeth as he continued to search through his near empty cupboards, hoping that he might find a morsel to eat in the empty darkness. It wasn't like he didn't have the money to buy snacks or much needed groceries. His family was plenty rich due to the fact that his parents' divorce had granted his mother a large sum of his father's earnings. Rukawa was just too lazy to walk down to the store, scour the isles and actually purchase some food. If there was a girl at the cashier, the transaction would be just that much more troublesome. With his mother gone for the week for work purposes, there was no one around to do the shopping.

It was while Kaede rummaged through his pantry for unhealthy snacks when the loud, annoying buzz of his doorbell caused him to jolt out of his slow minded state. This sudden noise brought his head up to slam against the wooden framework and a halted curse to escape his lips. Other than the sound of continuous rain and thunder, all was virtually quiet. A frown crossed his stoic features as he rubbed the new sore spot on the top of his head, debating if he should answer it or not. Why? The answer was simple. With Valentines on the way, there had been some strange women dropping peculiar little boxes, brimming with treats, off at his house. Some, if not all, of those women claimed to be from his school and belong to his fan club –not that he ever realized he actually had one.

After much thought and much more buzzing, Kaede let out an irritated sigh as he rubbed the bridge of his nose –an action that kept him from throwing a fit. If it was someone of no importance, he made a silent promise to slam the door in their face.

He glanced out the window, allowing his eyes to scrutinize the overcast sky and wind bended trees. Whoever that person may be, they were either extremely brave or extremely stupid for coming to his house in this weather. Either that or it was just another one of those annoying salespeople. Crossing the kitchen towards the front door, Kaeda reached out and yanked it open in hopes that his intimidating figure might scare away the pest. With narrowed eyes, Kaede was undaunted as the wind whipped the ice-cold rain in his face. The first year student glared out into the dark as the warm living room lights created a pillar of light behind him.

"Who's there—"

Kaede's eyes widened and his head jerked back as if he had been slapped across the face. His teeth clenched shut leaving his sentence unfinished. His lips couldn't even quiver to start another. He merely stood, rooted to the spot in stunned silence with his fingers curled tightly around the doorknob.

Standing at his doorway was a scruffy, beat up brunette dressed in an oversized sports jacket that belonged to Ryonan High. The girl's hazel nut tresses were in knots, curled around her pale, pained features. On one cheek was but a light bruise. The other however, sported a dark ring of blue and yellow that had just begun its formation. The corner of her lips sported a deep cut that had once trickled with blood. Her body reeked of alcohol and trembled uncontrollably from the unforgiving cold. It was obvious that she had been soaked through and through. Not even the heavy jacket could prove to be a proper barrier from the rain. Her feet were bare and the soles seemed to have blood seeping out from under the cracks. Just how far had she walked barefoot?

"…What happened?"

The shock had dissipated, leaving behind an anger that was beginning to show beneath the cracks of his naturally uncaring demeanor. However, he fell silent the moment her reddened, pleading eyes met with his. In that split second, he lost the hardened façade. Left behind was an uncharacteristically soft, sympathetic demeanor. He knew that she wasn't shivering from just the cold or anguish, but from fear as well. It must have taken all she could to meet him face to face. To calm himself, Kaede released the air that he had held in his lungs and allowed her a chance to speak.

"I'm sorry… I have nowhere else to go,"

The girl's lips were pale and cracked. Her voice was hoarse and faint. She hadn't answered his question, but he already knew what happened.

The brunette attempted to reign in her emotions, but her efforts were in vain. With tears streaming down her bruised, bloodied face, her broken words were choked out as an apology. "I'm sorry. I-I shouldn't have come b-but I-I h-have n-no wh-where else to go."

Sobbing uncontrollably, Megumi flung her arms around Kaede's waist and buried her face into his chest. Her actions were strange for she was not one to seek the comfort or help of others. However, her weakness could no longer be hid by her crumbling facade. "I'm sorry…" she repeated once more, mumbling.

The move and sudden lack of personal space startled Kaede, causing him to recoil. His hands, out of pure reflexes, had risen to pry the girl off of him. Yet, he paused just as his fingers brushed against the girl's trembling skin. Hesitating, his arms soon found their way around the shaky figure, unsure if there was a right or a wrong way to embrace a girl. Although his limbs were awkward from lack of that particular use, Megumi found comfort in them.

Following this, Kaede placed a large hand on top of the girl's head in a fashion similar to that of comforting a child. "You're safe now..."

Upon hearing those words, the Megumi's body grew slack in his arms.

"Thank you, Kae-chan."

* * *

"Oi, Rukawa-kun! What's taking you?" Sendoh called out as he descended the stairwell, waving a game controller in the air. He was clad in a conforming pair of jeans and a plain black top that was a little tight around the chest area. Breathing proved to be a discomfort to certain degrees and he wondered if it was bizarre for a male to wear such form fitting clothes. Then again, he was slightly larger in build than Kaede.

With little thought of other people's privacy, Sendoh ambled down the stairs in a carefree fashion. Swinging around the last step, he came into perfect view of the guest and the host who stood at the doorway. Sendoh froze, heart stopping. In the doorway stood two figures, one in the arms of the other, both now drenched by the heavy shower.

Sendoh was taken aback. He recognized this late night visitor.

"Princess?"

* * *

**A/N: **Edited March 26 2011 and 20th June 2013. This chapter was the biggest pain to edit. Seriously, 8,000+ words to go through –worse than the previous chapter. So, I didn't bother to change too much… other than cut down about 1,000 words. Anyway, hope you enjoyed Kaeda's entrance~ Please review~!


	7. Chapter 7: Insecurity

_The Rukawa Household, Kanagawa Prefecture: Saturday, February 11th__

Worry creased Sendoh's forehead. His lips tucked into a troubled frown that did not suit his normally blithe features. His eyes were filled with such intense bother that it was a surprise a hole had not been bored into the ceiling. His mind taunted him with ceaseless images of last night. What he saw unfold in that doorway made no sense no matter how much he thought about it. The unanswered questions plagued his mind throughout the night.

Why was Megumi here? Why was she so injured? What was her relationship with Kaede?

Shutting his eyes, the Sendoh continued to recall the strange events the night before. Thinking back, he could still recall Kaede's strained voice when he asked:

_"What happened?" _

_Kaede had repeated the question a second time after the trembling girl had calmed to the point of coherency. Though, from the looks of things, it was more of a rhetorical question. The stench of alcohol and fearful look in her watery hazel eyes seemed to scream volumes. "That bastard…" Kaede growled, gritting his teeth. With clenched knuckles, quivering white with anger, Kaede turned to barge out into the storm. _

_Kaede had been stopped though, by the touch of the hollowed shell that was once the confident Megumi Kobayashi. It was obvious that she wanted him to stay. Sighing, he unclenched his fists to place a hand on her head. Although monotone, Kaede's voice held a kindness that Sendoh could not quite grasp. _

_"Come in. You need to be treated."_

...

Sendoh's hands flew to his face, slapping his forehead in frustration. After all he had seen, he asked: _Are you okay?_

What kind of question was that? Her skin was marred with cuts and bruises. She was drenched to the bone. Her eyes were puffed and red from the tears that streamed down her cheeks. Still, it was the remaining shreds of Megumi's pride that granted her the fire to tell him that she was 'fine'. He, dumbly, shut up.

A hand passed over heavy lidded eyes as if to rub off the fatigue. Weary, he sat up and a heavy sigh escaped his lips.

Time for breakfast.

Sendoh forced himself off the firm mattress and into a pair of black polyester shorts before he pulled a figure hugging, blue top over his well sculpted chest. Although uncertain if Kaede would follow through with their plans, it was best to be prepared –Kaede disliked compromising his practices. However, Sendoh doubted that Kaede was in any better state of mind and affairs as he was.

Like a zombie, he dragged his lanky limbs down the wooden steps, taking slow, weighty steps. A light rumble sounded from the pits of his stomach as he neared the kitchen, craving for even the smallest morsel. However, he did not enter. What stopped him was Megumi's motherly tone, as she demanded:

"Kaede! What were you _thinking_ going back there?"

With piqued interest, Sendoh released his grip from the brass knob and tilted his head to the side. Squinting, he peeked through a slit created by the door that hung slightly ajar. His brows raised in a mix of surprise and confusion when he spotted Megumi apply medication to Kaede's cuts and bruises with cotton swabs. Surely those were not there when he retired to bed the night before. Had Kaede been in a street brawl?

Despite this, Sendoh found it odd that he was more concerned by the lack of space between the two than his friend's injuries. Another thing that caught his attention was the fact that Megumi was clad in an oversized white t-shirt that slipped from her shoulder in a messy yet seductive fashion, covering whatever shorts she wore.

Megumi didn't wait for a response or pause for breath as she continued to reprimand Kaede. "What did you think you could possibly accomplish from getting hurt? I told you not to go there! What were you thinking—"

"I wasn't," he answered dryly.

"What—"

"That bastard hurt you," he spat bitterly, eyes narrowed on the tiled floor.

Her features fell for a moment before her lips forced themselves into an apathetic smile. It was as if she were struggling to find the right words to say.

"Kaede, he's still..."

"I don't care." Kaede's glare intensified. "Why won't you live here?" he snapped. The formerly monotone voice he carried out daily was renewed with a sharpened edge as his eyes flashed dangerously under the fluorescent lights.

Megumi would not answer until the boy had simmered down, thus, waited till that was so. Several moments passed in silence to allow Kaede time to cool down. She shook her head and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose to calm herself. It was as if she were trying to explain a complexity to a child. "I can't. It'd be too much for her to handle with me around."

When Kaede's befuddled frown remained with matching eyes of uncertainty, Megumi's smile was one of sadness. The way she looked at him, her russet eyes held a sort of warmth and affection that Sendoh had never seen from her till then. When Kaede turned away in disappointment, Megumi cupped the sides of his face to focus his attention on her. "That doesn't mean I won't consider it," she whispered gently. "I will, but until then, I'll manage."

Although the frown on his face lightened, it still remained unconvinced as a silent protest.

To smooth the creases that had formed throughout their conversation, she rested her forehead against his and tried to convince him. "I'll be fine…. As long as you're with me, I can handle anything."

Kaede gnawed on his lower lip and turned away. This prevented Sendoh a preview to the emotions that fleeted across that stone cold expression. Luckily, Megumi was still in view. Though, he would have much rather had her spot him and bring an apocalypse on him than to allow the next occurrence to take place. She, believing that they were alone, leaned forward and kissed Kaede.

That moment felt like a drugged eternity. Sendoh's heart plummeted into his stomach, stirring up something strange. Despite this, he could not look away nor block out the words that would damage him past redemption.

When she pulled back, the brunette spoke with the same determined honesty that had drawn Sendoh to her.

"I love you Kaede Rukawa... and if you love me too, you'll trust me. Okay?"

The air was tense. Sendoh's breath caught in his throat. Surely, this would be another rejected confession.

Kaede nodded.

Sendoh's heart fell through his stomach, shattering as it hit the ground.

Why did he not deny that love? Sendoh could not even begin bring himself to believe that this selfish, basketball-centered male could possibly love anyone but himself. Unable to stomach the 'love fest' a second longer, he stepped in.

Banishing the agonized expressions that must have plagued his features, Sendoh replaced them by a steady, halfhearted smile. He would have entered to snatch a slice of toast that was sitting on the kitchen counter if not for the emotional whip that struck his heart when he watched the warmth of the girl's features dissipate. He could not help but cringe at the sight. He was tempted to demand why she would only smile in such a way for Kaede, but bit back the words he knew he would regret. With the lack of an appetite, Sendoh spoke as evenly as he could manage –putting on a façade that he had not heard what he heard nor seen what had transpired.

"I'm going on ahead," he said before adding, "Basketball."

Kaede simply nodded; a signal that he would soon follow in suit once business was taken care of.

"Don't you want some breakfast?" Megumi asked as Sendoh started out the front door. Her worry was hidden by confusion's tonality.

"I'm not hungry."  
"But—"  
"Just leave me alone."

Although he hadn't raised his voice, he was still snappy. This time, he was unable to lock away the words that rolled off his tongue. However, he could not help but feel a twinge of remorse once his mind registered the flicker of stunned hurt that played their tricks in her eyes. Regardless of this, he did not attempt to apologize. After all, it was her who had hurt him first. So, he left the house in a silent fury with hands tightly gripping a rough, orange ball.

"What's his problem?" Megumi mumbled unhappily once the door shut with a slam. She glanced at Kaede for an answer but was met with a simple shoulder shrug and shake of the head.

"Menopause?"

* * *

_Thud!_

A frown of annoyance settled upon Sendoh's lips as he watched the basketball ricochet off the backboard for the umpteenth time. Normally, he would have been able to hold back his strength. But, he found trouble doing so at the moment. This was not like him. Even if his mind was not focused on the task at hand, he would still be able to make most of his shots since each required moves that had long since been embedded into his muscle memory.

Frustration combined with physical and mental exhaustion was not the best of cocktails for any sportsman; Sendoh knew that much. Finally, he let the ball rest on the heated concrete while he sunk onto the soft, shaded grass. "Damn it..." he cussed as he wiped the perspiration from his forehead with his wristband. "What's wrong with me?" Thumping the back of his head against the tree that towered over him, he released an irritated sigh. He hated to acknowledge it, but he knew the answer all too well. Jealousy.

"I didn't even her in the first place, so why...?"

…

_The soft rumble of muted thunder shook the inner walls of the Rukawa household. In the kitchen, Sendoh Akira, on bended knee, carefully applied disinfectant to Megumi's wounds with fluffed cotton balls. No words were exchanged between the two, leaving the atmosphere heavy. If she felt any sort of sting that should have occurred while he was cleaning her fresh wounds, she made no acknowledgement of the sort. She was like a life sized doll sitting in front of him. A beautiful, damaged doll void of any emotion or life. _

_Although his original wish to call for an ambulance was denied by both, Sendoh had half the mind to do so when the poor girl nearly doubled over from fatigue. When he demanded to know why not, her pleading, tear-filled gaze was the only answer he would receive at the time. He could not bring himself to press any further._

_A set of hazed, faraway russet eyes stared out at the rain that assaulted a fogged windowpane. Her body was clad in a plain white, oversized t-shirt that slid off her shoulder and a pair of drawstring shorts –courtesy of Kaede. She did not flinch or recoil when Sendoh began to wrap the cleaned injuries with white gauze. Her unnatural silence unnerved him, but he preferred this silence if compared to several moments ago when he had to remove the shards of glass embedded in her skin. He tried to suppress the shudder that coursed through his body. The unsightly blemishes that were yet to be covered were a poignant reminder of her contorted, agonized features and helpless whimpers that passed between gritted teeth when the shards were removed, leaving blossoms of crimson in their wake._

_Despite her weak protests, Kaede had stormed out of the home in a fury once the last of the serrated edges had been removed. He had been missing for the past half hour and with him went the girl's voice._

'What happened to you?'

_With knitted brows, a frown settled on Sendoh's lips as he proceeded to wrap her ruined hands. However, it was the slight tremor he felt when his fingers brushed against hers that caused his features to soften. Although she could repress her emotions, she could not hide the fact that she was scared. Right now, she needed all the comfort and warmth she could get. _

_Carefully, Sendoh cupped a hand under her smaller hand. Slowly, he wrapped the bone white fabric around the abrasions with such tender affection that if someone were to peer into the scene, they would have believed that she was the most precious and beloved thing he held dear –an observation that would not be far from the truth._

_Tying the last knot in place, Sendoh spoke in a clear, unhurried pace to keep a calm surrounding. "What happened?" When she did not respond, Sendoh began to wonder if she had even heard him. She may have completely left the world around her. _

_Just as his lips parted to repeat himself, she stood with a shaky form before hobbling towards the kitchen door. Unsure of what else to do, he stood to assist her but the attempt was brushed off._

_"Thank you, but…" Her voice was hoarse as she continued with ragged breaths. "I can do this much for myself."_

_Her determination and desire for independence was impeccable. Though, her pride and stubborn disposition annoyed him. It pushed him to the limits of his tolerance. Nonetheless, he knew not to disregard her wishes. _

_However, he could not bury his own desires. He yearned to reach out to her. To hold her slender frame against his and stroke her dampened hair to comfort her. Every fiber in his body willed him to kiss her till she melted into his embrace. He wanted to shatter her numbed exterior. He wanted to make her, his._

_He did not._

_Instead he watched, no, allowed her to phase out of his reach._

_"Please."_ _When she reached the stairwell, she turned to meet his gaze for the last time. "Don't get involved with me any further." Then, she disappeared into the ceiling._

…

"I can't let this get to me anymore."

Shaking the images from his mind, Sendoh pulled his thoughts away from last night's recollection as he returned to the court to pick up his basketball. _'I tell myself that but...'_ Positioning himself behind the foul shot line, his next shot rebounded off a rusted rim. _'It still does...'_ he thought as he heaved a heavy sigh of exasperation. Sendoh squatted as he ran his hands through his hair as if to push aside the conflicting thoughts and emotions.

"Oi."

Sendoh's shoulders tensed, but he was able to force his neck to turn and face the owner of the voice. He was unsurprised that the tone of indifference belonged to Kaede Rukawa. At this point, he hated the thought of anyone witnessing his ruined state. Though, he was surprised to see the younger teen carrying two large bento boxes.

_'Did she make one of those... for me?'_ The hopeful thought caused the creases in his forehead to soften.

Kaede had never been the best of mind readers or the best at mincing his words, nor did he possess the slightest ounce of tact or care to do so. With no attempt on his part to polish his words, he chilled voice was like steeled daggers when he spoke. "D'aho. You hurt her."

"I hurt her...?"  
"Yeah, d'aho."

He grimaced at the accusation. He hurt her? No, he wouldn't. Not intentionally. From his perspective, _they_ had hurt him. Kaede, the semblance of the brother he never had, had been kissed by Megumi, the one Sendoh had fallen for. If Kaede had pulled away and denied the kiss after it had happened, the betrayal would not have struck as hard. Unfortunately, no such denial occurred. If that was not enough, when Megumi told the Kaede that she _loved_ him, the love was not denied but consented to. Every action and word indicated on them being lovers. It was that blaring fact that hurt the most.

"_I_ hurt _her_?"

His mind clouded over the same, jealous rage ass before. He clenched his fists. Gritted his teeth. He didn't know what to believe. He didn't want to suppress himself any longer. Not for Kaede. Not for Megumi. He didn't care anymore.

Sendoh took two steps forward. Two furious steps and, drawing back his fist, smashed Kaede's face.

Kaede stumbled back several paces, stunned and bleeding.

"You have no idea what you're talking about! She's the one who-"

_Whack!_

Kaede's knuckles met with Sendoh's chin. Sendoh, knocked off balance, fell on his rear. His stunned gaze met with the harsh glower of the one who towered over him.

Kaede spat out a wad of blood that gathered in his mouth and muttered an annoyed 'd'aho' under his breath. He leaned back, hands in pockets like he would in a gang fight.

"You hurt her."

The finality in his voice signaled the end of that topic –unless Sendoh desired a thorough beat down. When there was no response to his statement, Kaede clicked his tongue in annoyance. Reaching down, he yanked at Sendoh's collar, dragging him to his feet. "Giving up like this... you don't deserve her," he snarled, not breaking eye contact.

Whether it was the fact that Kaede had spoken more than five words in a sentence or the punch that jarred his mind into a state of clarity, it did not matter. The reels of intelligence hidden in the back of Sendoh's brain had begun to turn once more.

"I'm not giving up," he stated firmly.

With that proclamation, Sendoh was released. If his answer had appeased Kaede's wrath, no emotions portrayed as such.

It was only when Kaede picked the basketball off the ground that everything clicked.

"It's like basketball..." Sendoh thought out loud. It made sense now as to why someone like Kaede Rukawa would use 'basketball' as a comparison to love. Being an avid lover of the sport himself, the Ryonan player knew what the vague analogy entailed. Never give up no matter what odds are stacked against him and put in his all to win the game –to fight for possession of that ball.

Kaede merely grunted in response, tossing the ball to Sendoh after making several baskets within the time it had taken for that realization to occur. As he passed his senior, he shot the older a warning glance. "Don't punch me again."

Sendoh laughed. "Or else what? You'll sick your fan girls on me?"

There was a brief pause. Sendoh could have sworn he spotted a flicker of amusement in Kaede's eyes as if he were entertained by the thought. Although he did not speak, a brief smirk did grace his lips.

From that moment on, Sendoh decided it would be best not to hit Kaede again.

* * *

An hour and a half of strict practice passed, the two teenagers decided it was time to return.

Kaede, ravenous, even after eating every grain of rice in his bento and a few of his rival's octopus shaped sausages, headed to the kitchen for a snack. Sendoh on the other hand, decided it would best to lounge in the living room till his body cooled down before he took a shower.

When Megumi heard the front door open with a distinct 'we're back', she drew her attention away from her manga. After spotting Sendoh's bruised lip, she couldn't help but wonder what had transpired in the past two hours. Normally, she would have added a snide remark to mask whatever worry she felt, but could not bring herself to say anymore –or tell him to put on a shirt to cover his delicious, well-sculpted chest.

'_Is it just me or is it getting hot in here…?'_ she wondered, averting her gaze.

Sendoh lazily sank onto the cushioned seat beside her. His arms casually spread over the top. From out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the gawking and chuckled.

She hurriedly looked away. "What happened to you?" she questioned, attempting to sound indifferent as she continued to leaf through her manga. She tried to fake it, but she paid no attention to the romance scene in the manga of two oblivious idiots who were unknowingly in love, sitting on a sofa.

"Why don't you take care of your dear _Kae-chan _instead?"

Sendoh had meant for the sentence to tease her. Honestly. The words just came off as snide.

He couldn't help but flinch when Megumi shot up from her seat. She slammed her manga shut and glared down at him through narrowed eyes. Whatever embarrassment she had felt was gone.

"What is your problem?" she demanded, lips curling into a snarl.

He didn't want to admit it, but he was terrified. He'd never been stared down by a woman before –much less someone a head shorter than him. He didn't dare stand. When he found his voice, Sendoh couldn't help but snap back. "Well, what's with you and Rukawa? You kissed him on the lips and told him you loved him!"

There was a long, heavy silence that settled in the room. Sendoh was staring at Megumi accusingly while she just stared back dumbfounded. When she finally found her voice, she spluttered:

"T-the lips? What are you –I kissed him on the forehead!"

He faltered. Kaede _had_ turned away at that crucial moment. Sendoh had not actually seen her kiss Kaede on the lips. He had let his imagination run rampant to fill in the gaps. "But you told him you loved him..."

"For god's sake..." She rolled her eyes in disgust. "Of course I love him. He's my brother you idiot!"

_'Brother...?_'

His mind blanked. Sendoh simply sat there, wide eyed and stunned.

_'Brother?' _

His thoughts echoed louder. His eyes widened even farther, pupils dilating as his mouth fell open. He was mortified. How could he have made such a mistake? "Y-you aren't dating...?" he stammered dumbly as he tried to wrap his brain around the concept. So she hadn't meant 'love' in a romantic sense, but a familial one.

"Of course not—wait—you were _listening_?" she thundered. Her voice raised a whole octave as she hurled her manga at his head with her signature strength and precision.

"It was an accident! Honest! I didn't mean to—"

Sendoh held his hands in defense, trying to pull back, but it was too late. The manga collided with his forehead. Losing his balance, he fell off the sofa to the floor with a loud thud.

"Urgh…but... how was I supposed to know?" he started, wincing as he slowly sat up. Rubbing the sore spot centered on his forehead, he glanced at the girl who huffed and turned away. "You guys have different last names..." He paused to raise a confused brow, "Why is that?"

Megumi seemed to falter for a moment, parted her lips in hesitancy but shut them. Shaking her head, she stood. Wobbling slightly, she started to leave as fast as her injuries permitted. "I told you not to be involved with me anymore."

He too stood to catch her as she passed him. He was not going to let her escape this time if he could help it. "Wait!" he called out as he reached out to grab her shoulder. Megumi should not have faltered due to the odd feeling that struck her heart. She should have continued on like her mind ordered. Yet there was a moment of hesitance. In that split second of uncertainty, her world came crashing down on her –in an almost literal sense.

A muffled groan escaped Sendoh's lips as he silently cursed the carpet for his untimely fall. Undoubtedly, he must have embarrassed himself in front of the girl he liked. On the bright side though, he had a soft landing as compared to the expectation of flattening his face on the floor's hard surface. He had not expected to be saved by two soft pillows. _'Two... pillows?'_ he wondered in confusion. Slowly, he turned his head to the side to view the perfectly rounded lump to his left. _'T-t-t-t-t-t-these aren't pillows!'_ His mind flew into a panicked frenzy. Thoughts clashed. Confusion ran wild. In the end, all he could do was lift his body to hover over the cushion. When his horrified gaze met with the stunned features of the girl he had fallen on, his whole body felt a cold chill and remained motionless.

A high pitched squeak sounded. As girlish as it was, he was sure that it was his.

_'Oh god... Did I just- my face- pillows- I fell on- oh god._' At that point, not even his thoughts were coherent.

The woman too was in a state of shock. The pain from the fall and her wounds had dulled her thoughts. No words escaped her lips as her mind pieced together what just occurred. It took several moments before she awoke to the realization that both their faces were but inches apart. The blood rose to her face instantaneously. Her body felt as if she had been locked into place. It was only due to her self induced instinct that a frown crossed her lips to conceal the obvious embarrassment. She just hoped that he could not hear her furiously thumping heart.

Time passed yet Sendoh was unsure if the brunette's blush was out of embarrassment or fury. Slowly, his eyes trailed to her scowl and affirmed the possible fury. However, there was a soft glimmer in her eyes –something hidden deep within those russet pools that he could not place a finger on.

The gentleman within him knew that he should have removed his body from hers, but he could not tear his gaze from hers. He was mesmerized. The ghostly caresses of shallow breaths against his cheeks caused shivers to run down his spine. The enticing sensation of heat emanating from her skin drew him closer. He could no longer prevent the intoxication. Slowly, the gap between their bodies diminished. He held her gaze for a moment before his eyes slid shut and he drew closer to her to greet her lips.

_Whump!_

In an instant, Sendoh found himself on the opposite end of the room sprawled on his back like an overturned turtle. With a groan, he rubbed the back of his throbbing head that had the unfortunate chance to greet the wall.

"K-Kae-chan!"

Kaede? That made sense.

Sendoh heaved a heavy sigh and through narrowed eyes, shot a look at Kaede who stood beside his girl. In one hand was a first aid kit while the other reached out to help her up.

Groaning once more, Sendoh wondered why on earth he had to be kicked in the face. Surely, he did not deserve such brutal treatment. It was not as if he was about to do anything bad, right? He paused for a moment as his brows knitted together whilst he pondered the question. Seconds ticked by as he rewound and replayed the scene in his head only to pause at the climax. He had almost kissed her. As the mere thought of attempting such an unspeakable act crossed his mind, he began to panic. At that point, the only thing that Sendoh did do was bury his burning face in his palms. He had almost stolen a kiss from Megumi and he doubted that the gesture was much appreciated.

"Are you okay?" Although his voice bared monotony and indifference, buried within the cellars of his soul was a care for his sister as well as anger directed towards the one who had dared to touch her in such a way. He'd even gone easy on Sendoh. Kaede honestly contemplated to never leave her alone with Sendoh Akira ever again unless the latter desired a thorough beating.

"Ah, I'm fine Kae-chan. Just a little stunned," she answered as she turned down his hand to stand on her own. When she spoke, she tore away from his forceful gaze to the ground as an act to conceal her pink tinted cheeks with her bangs. _'That was too close...'_ She heaved a sigh of relief and placed a hand over the heart that continued its overtime. Her fist tightened on her shirt's fabric and the explosive thumps started to dull. It was as she did so that a jolt of remembrance flashed through her mind and the reels of her memories clicked to a halt. It was a reminder of a most awkward landing. This time, the bright red was no longer of embarrassment. It was fury.

Megumi's head whipped about at such a frightening speed that Sendoh almost feared she may have broken her neck. "You..." Her eyes twitched involuntarily as a low growl escaped her lips that had curled into a fierce snarl. This frightening sight caused a terrified whimper to escape his own lips. He cringed but all he could do was swallow hard and brace himself for her attack.

"You pervert!"

At that very moment, the wrath of a thousand demons descended upon the unfortunate Sendoh Akira.

It was then that Kaede made a mental correction. _He_did not need to carry out any punishment. _She_was perfectly capable without him. All he had to do was retie her loosened bandages after her rampage.

By the time the Megumi was through, Sendoh was no more than a twitching mass of bruises and aching joints strewn across the ground. _'I guess I sorta deserved that but... she's so violent...'_

It was, however, whilst Kaede attended to the girl's bandages that her eyes met with the fresh bruise that marred her younger brother's lips. She froze. "Did you two... get into a fight?" she asked placidly despite the danger that laced each word with poison. They froze.

The two braced for another explosion, but nothing of the sort happened. Instead, she huffed and turned to the first-aid kit for a couple bandages. "Really, must you always worry me like this?" she grumbled as she peeled out the first band aid to apply on her brother's cut lip.

Kaede simply looked away as his response and Sendoh could not help but note the flicker of sadness in her eyes.

"H-hey! I'm injured too!" Sendoh quickly cut in, waving his arms in the air to attract the girl's attention.

She turned to him with a raised brow of disbelief and a demeaning smirk. "But didn't you say, '_why don't you go take care of your dear Kae-chan_?'"

Sendoh could only laugh. It seemed his words had returned to bite him in the rear.

Nevertheless, after much childlike whines and pouts, even she had to concede out of sheer annoyance. With little care, she slapped a bandage onto his wound, which greatly contrasted with the great pains she took to disinfect her own brother's cut.

This act of clear favoritism only caused the sheepish smile on Sendoh's lips to widen.

"What?" she demanded with her usual raised eyebrow and matched frown.

His shook his head but the grin remained. "Nothing."

The girl eyed him for a moment with suspicion but shrugged her shoulders and let the matter slide. It was impossible to understand that fool anyway. With that, she was out of the living room and on her way to her room to change into better attire.

As he watched her leave, the little epiphany that had struck him not too long ago arose once more.

_'I guess... I'm really falling for her...damn it.'_

* * *

**A/N: **Edited September 7th 2011 and 21st June 2013.

Pst, Megumi has **never** called Sendoh by his name! And a quick note, while planning out this chapter I was still uncertain if I should take the 'Kaede was Megumi's childhood friend who has a one sided crush on her' or the 'sibling' route. I chose the latter since it seemed more believable than Kaede having a romantic interest in Megumi.


	8. Chapter 8: Demons

_**A/N: **__Yup! I'm back after almost two years of leaving everyone hanging! You may scold me somewhere in a review or a PM~ I'll respond to everyone~!Also, my writing's changed over the years –for better or worse. _

_Also, I got rid of the part in the last chapter where Sendoh randomly bought her a dress because, well, it was random and ill placed._

_Please read this at either ¾ or ½ width as that is more pleasing to the eye._

* * *

_Convenience store, Kanagawa Prefecture: Saturday, February 11th__

"Eggs, sausages, rice, seaweed, salmon..." Sendoh continued to rattle off a list of food as he made his way down rows of multicolored packaged goods.

In one hand, he carried an exaggeratedly long list that if unfolded, would drag against the ground. In the other, a shopping basket, quickly being piled on with household ingredients. Following a safe distance behind him was Kaede who carried two more baskets stocked full of food that would be able to keep a family of five fed for two months.

To be honest, Kaede was content with waiting out the starving period before his mother returned with food—Megumi was no different. Although she had made them lunch, the bento was severely lacking in…. Everything. Even then, that was put kindly. Sendoh, aghast by the fact, dragged Kaede out the door without allowing him a word in edgewise.

A sigh shoved its way past Sendoh's lips as he shook his head. _'They're too lazy...' _

He felt the need to be their mother or else they wouldn't eat or take care of themselves. He'd always thought Megumi to be the responsible one... Apparently that wasn't the case when it came to learning the basics a woman needed to know such as cooking and cleaning. He was shocked (and highly amused) when he found out that she couldn't cook anything besides soggy instant noodles and mushy rice. Despite being another trait added to the 'Why I Shouldn't Like Megumi Valentine' list, he found her incompetence to be quite cute.

But, he had a task to see though and that was not to daydream about Megumi.

Ignoring the quizzical yet flirtatious glances of women that turned his way, Sendoh continued to muse about what to make for dinner. "Maybe some onigiri..." His voice trailed off for several moments before realizing that food wasn't the only thing they needed to get.

Clothes.

The only thing Megumi had to wear was an oversized shirt and drawstring shorts. Such a sight was far too much for a hormonal teenager to take. That thin, baggy shirt which hung over the edges of her shorts left much of her slender figure to a man's imagination. That careless off-shoulder look and tousled morning hair that showed off the gentle curve of her neck... Those long supple legs, smooth and bare... Those kissable lips—

'_Ack- stop it!' _Sendoh caught himself before he could delve further into fantasies involving the brunette. She was badly injured just the day before. Allowing his thoughts wanted to run rampant, he was only defiling her pride by doing so.

Quickly, the flustered teen turned his attention to two girls with similar builds as Megumi. Goddamn this would be weird... and they seemed pretty busy.

"Excuse me, but would you two help me pick out some clothes? For a girl about your size," he added, gesturing to the girl on the right, trying to keep up his charming persona.

They hesitated, but after being introduced to Kaede, it seemed that whatever plans they had earlier were resolved.

* * *

It took about an hour more of shopping before the boys, aided by the girls, were piled with several stacks of clothes. As thanks, numbers were swapped and the boys were left alone. Though, Sendoh was ninety-nine percent sure that Kaede had written the number for Pizza Hut instead.

"Alright... shirts, pants, skirts, socks, shoes..." Sendoh's lips curled into a frown as his brows knit together in thought. He was forgetting something. Something important. "Oh, right! I'm sure she'll need some under... wear..."

Cue long, awkward pause.

Immediately, Sendoh's thoughts flew into a flurry of panic. Underwear? _Women's underwear. _Panties. Bras… Lingerie!You mean he'd have to buy _those_?

'_I can't-!' _He shook his head in alarm, trying to dismiss the idea. Yet, within a couple blinks, there it stood only several feet away –the lingerie section.

There were women weaving between the aisles, picking out all sorts of laced, color splattered bras ranging from cute pastels to more of a 'sexy-woman' feel. How could he, of all people, possibly buy underwear for Megumi? That was so... indecent.

'_I could never look at her without imagining...'_ He quickly pinched his own cheek to prevent his thoughts from running rampant. _'Don't you even dare—'_

"Do you need something, sir?"

Sendoh stiffened. Slowly, he strained to face a stout elderly woman who donned the store's uniform. The woman eyed the two teenagers with much suspicious scrutiny as she adjusted the pair of owl spectacles that rested on the bridge of her nose. That beady gaze of hers narrowed on Sendoh more so than Kaede seeing as Kaede was sleep standing.

"Ah, you see ma'am. I –we need to buy some uh... _things_, for a person." Sendoh swallowed the lump of awkward that clumped in his throat that caused his voice to croak like a toad.

The woman's thinned lips curled into a sly smirk as her eyes glimmered under the florescent lights. "So, lingerie for a girlfriend?"

"Yes- Wait- No. Sort of. She's a girl-friend. Not a _girlfriend_." He hurriedly explained, cheeks flushing an embarrassed shade of red. Damn this was awkward. Sendoh glanced at Kaede for back up, but there was no such thing.

Resting her knuckles against her hips, the woman piped up with her shrill voice. "Alright then. What size is she?"

"Eh? Size?"  
"You know, her bra size."  
"E-eh- That is-"  
"And what type do you want? Something cute? Sexy? _See through?_"

Sendoh's hands immediately flew to his face in a futile attempt to hide the bloody crimson that glowed from his cheeks. This was far more than he could handle. It was easy to joke about things like this with friends, but not with an old lady.

"Just a... normal top... please," he finally choked out. His eyes could not meet with the woman who stood in front of him, smiling knowingly.

"Of course, of course. And what size do you think she is?"

Sendoh hesitated for a moment, cheeks burning, before holding out two hands, curving them into cups. "Apples," was the answer. "They're like apples."

The woman paused for a moment as if in thought before bobbing her head several times. "I'll bring you a couple of sets to choose."

"Ah- actually, could you just put them in a bag and I just pay?" It was a simple request, yet it still sent Sendoh shying away from the woman. He couldn't bring himself to even throw a glance at Megumi's soon-to-be lingerie. How stupid!

The woman only continued to grin and nodded. "Very well then." Once she disappeared behind one of the many colorful racks that dotted the store, Sendoh let out a sigh of relief.

"Dodged that bullet..."

Yet, why did he feel Kaeda's piercing glare drilling into the back of his head?

* * *

"We're home!" Sendoh called out as the two boys entered the doorway, shutting it with a pronounced slam.

"Welcome home!" Was the automated response that greeted them from the inner sanctum.

Sendoh suppressed a shudder of delight that came from that ever so gritty yet lovely voice. He had imagined time after time the scenario of returning home to a beautiful wife (Megumi), greeted by that same whimsical voice and a kiss on the cheek. Of course the kiss hadn't happened yet, but it will soon –he hoped.

"We bought some food and clothes for yo-"

Sendoh's voice caught in his throat when he spotted the brunette in the living room. She was on all fours, struggling to curl her white bound fingers about a thick marker as she worked on a Valentines Day poster for the dance. "Megumi..." Her name passed through his lips as a ghost's whisper.

Of course the girl wouldn't tell them just how much pain she was in.  
Of course the lacerations and bruises still caused suffering.  
Of course the pain lingered despite the cover up.

_'Who hurt you...?'_ The thought disturbed him. It had to be someone with a lot of influence on both Megumi and Kaeda to make them not want to call the police. _'Could it be...'_

Kaeda passed by wordlessly and squatted beside his sister. Taking the girl's quivering hand in his, the marker's possession switched masters without quarrel. It was as though there had been a mutual understanding between the two -a conversation made with eye contact and a subtle shift in body language. Glancing at the scrap of paper by her side, he began to copy its contents.

Sadly, Sendoh didn't have that telepathic connection.

"Can I—"  
"No."  
"But—"  
"You'll ruin it."

Sendoh frowned. He wanted to help, but she was far too prideful to accept help from anyone other than Kaeda. "Fine then." With a stubbornness rivaling the girl's, Sendoh sat beside her with a heavy thud and grabbed several papers from her side along with a handful of colored markers.

Megumi eyed Sendoh with an incredulous gaze as her lips formed a sour scowl. "I already said no," she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest in attempts to intimidate. This act normally caused him to cave to whatever she wanted, but not this time. This time, he was going to do what he wanted.

"Well, we're going out again and we can't leave you alone the whole day." With that, he rolled his shoulders, brushed off the girl's gaze and got to work. Not once did Sendoh glance up at her for fear that her piercing glare would literally take a stab him. Instead, he took the chance to assess Kaeda's art skills for the first time. Unsurprisingly, Kaede was a professional at stick figures.

Though, if Sendoh _had _thought to look at Megumi, he would have been surprised by an odd little smile that shone in her eyes.

* * *

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

That repetitive sound resonated throughout the area, ricocheting off of trees, creating an invisible wall that blocked out the rest of the world. Although bored, it would have been a crime to break up the moment of intense concentration; a battle of will and skill. So, Megumi sat silently on a wooden bench, watching the two boys run up and down the concrete paved court in attempts to oust the other.

Kaeda was, of course, proving to be an extreme challenge to Sendoh with his natural talent for the game. However, it soon became evident that Sendoh was the one gifted with an explosive amount of stamina. No matter how skilled both were, only one could come out on top.

In the end, that victor was Sendoh.

By that time, both sported a sheen of glistening sweat, rolling down the sides of their sun-kissed skin. Both had attracted the attention of passing girls who couldn't stop the sliver of dribble that was the consequence of an extended period of gawking. Megumi couldn't blame them though. If she wasn't Kaeda's sister, she figured she'd be one of the girl's pining for him. On the other hand, there _was _Sendoh.

Sendoh who had just used his jersey to wipe away the sweat from his brow, exposing the well defined muscles that hid beneath it.

Sendoh who was bright, charismatic and _horrendously _attractive.

'_Wait—stop right there. That idiot is not attractive!' _The functioning portion of her brain told her as she ripped her gaze from his well sculpted and all round gorgeous figure. _'Don't you ever think that!' _She could tell that she was slowly slipping, loosening the thorny chains that encased her heart. That couldn't happen. She was not going to let another man hurt her again. Not after that time—no.

Never again.

She had to retighten those chains.

"Hey, Princess! Do you want something to drink?" Sendoh called out, snapping her out of her thoughts. Apparently, they had paused their second match.

"Ah... Mango juice then. Or lemonade's good too if they don't have that." She was too tired to demand that he stop calling her 'princess' for the umpteenth time.

For some reason, the mention of 'lemonade' made him smile. Megumi had no clue why, nor did she really care. She glanced at the sturdy back of the boy who left with her brother and let out a drawn out sigh. Nope. She didn't care. Not at all.

It seemed that in no more than five seconds of peace, she was swarmed by five pesks. All of which seemed to be about her age, if not older by a few years. One of them even had the gall to sit right beside her, leaning in closely in a seductive fashion. The other four simply stood about with smirks on their faces as though they all knew a joke that she didn't.

"Hey there cutie. The name's Juunta. Wanna come hang out with us? We'll show you a good time." He dragged his words as though he were maneuvering through butter.

"Yeah, no." Bluntly, Megumi rejected his advances with a straight-laced face, void of emotion. They were probably doing this as some initiation ceremony of sorts. Something she wanted no part of. "Now run along boys, and go bother someone else."

She hoped that that would deter him, but it didn't.

In order to save face, Juunta pushed harder for her compliance. "Hey, hey, _hey_, don't be like that. It'll be fun. C'mon, we're nice guys," he continued to probe her, yet she remained as bull headed as ever. With each ticking second, her patience wore thin and his annoying antics became less bearable.

"No. Now go away."

She was not going and he could see that, but he refused to back down. After all, his pride was on the line.

"Hey, ease up a little and have some fun. We're just going to go dancing, karaoke, grab some booze—"

Juunta faltered. His voice rose then plummeted in his throat as though a stone had been shoved down it. The girl that sat across from him had morphed into something horrid. It was as though that last word had caused the chains of her self-control to break. The blank, cold surface had shattered and crumbled to pieces, revealing a harsher interior of spiked mountains. Megumi's gaze had narrowed on the boy, drilling into him every last fiber of hatred and disgust she contained.

She was a demon.

"_Get lost_..." she growled, her voice overflowing with vicious acid.

To prevent herself from acting like her little brother and going in for the punch, Megumi clenched her fists to remind herself of who she was and what she couldn't do. She was the Student Council President of Ryonan High School. She had to act the part. As a result, her body began to tremble as the lacerations on her hands strained, threatening to split open under the white gauze.

Shaken but not deterred, Juunta's fear was replaced with anger at the girl's impudence. "Don't think you're all that just because you're cute!" he snarled.

Megumi shot a quick glance about the area for any signs of life only to find that there _were_ people about. However, all had their heads down with eyes staring intently at the pavement as they passed by. Some even turned about and walked in the opposite direction. Cowards.

Her attention quickly returned to the teen who stood abruptly, yanking her off the seat. She staggered forward as though an infant deer on new legs, grimacing as he caught her face. Drawing her closer, he breathed his hot, alcohol laced breath on her face. The next thing that came to mind was a bad memory and bile up her throat.

Megumi began to panic.

"S-stop it!"

He stopped. Not because of her terrified demands, rather, because of the two towering males that stood right behind her. Both were equally as pissed as the other with grit teeth and knuckles clenched so tight they looked like white sheets. If looks could kill, they'd be serial killers.

Without warning, Kaede reached out and yanked Juunta's hand away from his sister. The look on his face was one of unparalleled anger as his fingers wrapped about the Juunta's wrist as though strangling a snake. Sendoh stood beside Megumi, bubbling with anger as he steadied her with a hand that strained to maintain a gentle touch. In a low voice marred with traces of fury, Sendoh spoke, "She said, '_stop_'."

Megumi shuddered at the unfamiliar tone. Never had she heard him as angry as this. This actually topped the time they found his fan girls destroying her bike. He was seething with a visible rage that seeped from his skin.

'_Whoa…' _

She tilted her chin to get a better look at him. But the second she began to turn her head, Sendoh drew her close to his body.

"O-oi!" was her muffled protest just before the towering figure pressed her face against his taut chest as if to keep her from the eyes of wolves. With one hand entangled in her hazel tresses, he wrapped his free arm about her slender waist causing a surprised gasp to sound from the girl in his arms. Feeling her fingers curl against the polyester fabric of his jersey, he held her even tighter as a child would be unwilling to give up his favorite toy for fear it will be broken.

Sendoh's gaze was harsh as he continued to glare down at the five that hung back warily. The picture that was expressed on his face was ill fitting to his naturally complacent features. It was then when another demon was born.

"Don't touch what is _mine_."

With that territorial statement, Sendoh whisked the girl into his arms as carefully and as endearingly as one would cradle a baby. Yet, his actions did not match the all-too-visible animosity that was present on his features.

"Now, excuse us."

In a flash, the demon prince and his princess were out of sight.

For a moment, Kaede couldn't help but hesitate. Was it smart to leave his sister alone with Sendoh in that state? Probably not. But, he had another task to see to first. So, turning his attention back to the five, he released his iron grip on the wrist of the annoyance.

Then, with a closed fist, he broke Juunta's nose.

* * *

Much of what followed after would have seemed to be like a dream to others. The dashing prince who saved his princess from bandits now paraded her in his arms down a busy walkway.

Except, it wasn't like that.

There were no flocks of women ooh'ing and aww'ing at the sight. There were no hoots or nods of admiration from the men. Only stares of fear as people parted like the red sea to allow Sendoh passage. Not even the prize that he held in his arms dared a look at his face nor did she pipe up a protest to be set down. Even Sendoh could sense her fear. But, he could not bring himself to say anything of comfort for fear it may come across as sharp and irate. In fact, he was beginning to question if he were more dangerous than the previous group of guys.

Eventually Sendoh's brisk pace slowed before he came to a halt by a shaded bench. Away from prying eyes, he gently sat her down as though laying out a dainty china doll. Safe and sound.

Finally, Megumi brought her gaze to meet his when he placed her on the seat. What she saw in his eyes caused a shudder to trail down her spine. Unfamiliar was the gaze that stared back at her with a hazy appearance. Although an arm's reach away, she could sense the bricks of an invisible barrier being stacked on top of each other. Through the fog that shrouded his features, she noticed the faint downward curvature of his lips. There was a flare of dimming anger being doused by a wave of sadness as it flickered and puffed up before resulting in nothing.

"You're angry," she pointed out plainly as though that would fix the problem.  
"No I'm not," came the obvious lie as he glanced elsewhere.  
"Yes you are."  
"No I'm not."  
"_Yes_ you are."  
"_No_ I'm not."

This continued on for several more minutes before Megumi threw her hands up in the air with an exasperated 'whatever!' and sulked -something Sendoh found to be extremely cute but due to the current situation, held his tongue.

Obviously, he was mad, but it wasn't something he could just admit to. That was not within his character. Though this aggravation was not directed to anyone but himself. He was angry that he couldn't protect her from those who had hurt her. Angry that all he could do was tend to her wounds after they have been inflicted. Angry that he couldn't hold her or kiss away her fears the way he wanted to.

It was infuriating to not know what had hurt her in the past. Though, not as much as knowing that he was to blame for some of her attacks.

He wanted to be her strength. Her prince. But he had no right.

This was a rather strange moment in Sendoh's life. It was through this choking anger that he realized something buried within himself. An emotion too true to him that although he wanted to keep away, it persisted like an annoying rash. He let out a burdened sigh as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Earlier, his 'love' for her had been shallow –a game which he created where the prize at the end was her. He didn't 'love' her.

"Sorry..." Sendoh muttered softly.

Megumi raised a questioning brow, confused by the apology. "Why?" She waited for a response, but it never came. So, rolling her shoulders, she turned her attention to the pigeons that hopped about, hopeful for a snack.

"Sorry..." He repeated once more, softer this time.

In those few days of knowing her, Sendoh had lost that game. By trying to win Megumi's heart, she had stolen his. Sendoh had fallen into the web he had set to trap her and was now irrevocably and irreversibly in love with her.

* * *

**IMPORTANT:** I have edited **all **the chapters previous to this, but the one with the largest change is chapter one which starts off with a rather dark foreshadowing of the future! Actually, there were major edits everywhere. Not just grammatical. It'd be awesome if you'd go back and check it out and tell me what you think of the edit~! The edits made it so that Sendoh didn't start liking her till chapter 6~

Chapters 1 and 4 have my favorite edits~!

Please send your thoughts, comments, corrections, questions, and critique via review and I will be sure to reply!

I absolutely _love _people who give constructive criticism!

Also, just a shout out to all you reviewers who had been with me especially, princess thieves of heart, Freakie-ness, prettyshinigami, 7sodeno shirayuki7, PurePrincess and last but not least, Star7 who has been a major help in teaching me how to write better and telling me what to improve on. And also, a major thank you to Kaiser Washington. If not for your flaming when I first published the original story (link to it on my profile), I would have never sought improvement. Thanks guys, you're the best!


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